Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' B7 A- v# b" g0 r0 O# ^> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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) H; p7 I, L1 n2 Y0 b  K> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- p9 Q) h9 B/ O6 ^) ]5 H0 P) B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
. m% p" [! Z6 r: A# b> natural order of things in my son?'
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& m0 a% J0 U' W$ h> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 p5 j# N# m, S+ [6 U! e9 t& o> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; t9 O9 i. L* v$ l2 O9 v> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- F, F3 y, u7 @, ]( l* k7 D( x, U4 |> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
$ `4 i$ p- ~& ~! F; z> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. L0 Y3 K- {( k, ?; N0 U+ [" T> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 v7 K& G4 s5 t- q5 x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
' a1 L' Q3 K7 k" q9 p; i5 @* X> inning.'
>
. s9 H: b0 }  {" H. Z( q* L> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  F+ Q& J$ r6 R9 K; f> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
! U6 U2 K+ Q* T0 I> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) o8 C# K  a4 F; ]3 @/ ?> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
4 h; b3 Q' `7 W) F1 s& F' H> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ J7 p0 I* G' J/ V> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 s* N' j: ~: w/ `" G> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
$ I' C' \( w( n: e: H7 C> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 E7 w; @/ ?7 g: l4 F> much less connect with the ball.
" `- s- E1 ^( k* D8 B  U> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 P9 r: e) ?" N& p# E> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 ]$ [8 j, @: T( V* Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ a5 B  @3 D3 w5 Y& |9 ^. n> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 f7 s8 q% T' G+ [$ m& Q( j. w> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
  B' e) n$ E: L1 \> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
4 D9 f3 L: Z6 R  @> wide-eyed and startled.
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; J6 V" ~# q+ p' e> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" w0 l. Q  @: y5 q> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 H+ @2 K3 L" V' D' W> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 U% A0 R: i3 X2 l> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
: C6 z# F; L9 H' H2 p$ Q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
( a: M0 `5 o; t) u9 `> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ F6 X+ A0 B7 D3 T/ E# `8 \* H* n> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! Z" o6 u; w; C& b: ]% G1 C: l> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
, E7 X" I% b3 R3 t: Z2 s% y% B4 a> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; L6 Q3 ], q+ p5 y* B- I! O> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
; ^5 ~6 a- ?, m8 F> game for his team.
>
8 F# ?, q4 t* U6 T> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- i/ o" I% r7 T- R> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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/ I6 l2 M$ c* ]& Q# P( b> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ Q" \1 M  f  f" ^5 G7 S" n: L> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
8 e9 y* A7 h! [9 k) v> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 C" h9 l- X7 h/ h$ s& w: i> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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" i$ |+ ]& \4 A, J# r, C> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: p+ l' T) d% ]3 v7 {# d5 f% K> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# B/ u" [3 Z3 G) M. @4 l> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: i* }6 n; _- N% i7 S2 m' S. h# r# D0 G> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
0 A$ g7 }) l3 e: E> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 f8 S5 J1 |1 M: U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
; p# W1 i4 h  [% Q& c> You now have two choices:
( f1 t3 ]! M1 R4 U% J) R> 1. Delete
1 u( u3 R& W- x4 ~1 g> 2. Forward
>
  R* D: V) j! |1 O" n8 V( N# Q> May your day, be a Shay Day.