Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
2 v: \  W; E2 m, T) c& W9 k. j> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! l+ \9 w6 I; ]8 R5 ^' B3 F7 Q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
( O7 @# ~. n: Z>
- L7 i6 }8 N) @# F/ A! {" |> 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
* F: ^) U$ q7 f! c2 ~' m> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# z7 }0 F3 S$ @: F. i3 }$ h> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% h9 \/ z& }9 \. n> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 v2 G3 O! d# ]& J$ |+ _> natural order of things in my son?'
>
: h( n: @! \, P' r9 P> The audience was stilled by the query.
9 d* z$ }' W# i& t5 }( v>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
* ?& U7 @7 f( G6 ?$ r7 D1 r/ q( u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
' l; h+ f' ~, F0 G" L9 Z>
% @: [, D& c+ k9 M) x: l> Then he told the following story:
>
# N3 F' S, N/ M> 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
7 T3 d8 y. P4 M- r% a! e> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
4 \7 y" m2 C% t  l> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) `# {1 w. e* O  a1 j% J> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
5 @' R, Y; ~0 C( y  w- v9 C> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' W. q. K4 W: K, i$ e' f8 w  w# h> 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
1 h. Q9 q8 ^* U* J> inning.'
>
$ t: y/ k- ^3 Z! h& \. v1 N, ~: u> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ f) y: G& o) a# L1 v+ t> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
7 r% l, J% e. {> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
. u4 A+ H8 r9 Z. e/ S$ b- y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
6 i( L+ x8 v' H8 l# h6 u, j> 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
+ A/ F) e0 r" n. {> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
/ S$ H- U' c* C& t3 U1 ~1 M>
, b, M! b1 l3 |! M  L: b  |> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" N& x/ _9 v6 s- g4 ?5 m> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ q4 W+ R2 W- e) H- a0 x> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
' w& e! H) V* D+ |9 C> much less connect with the ball.
4 O: D8 l4 w! j8 z3 P> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  g$ c" _4 K- i) Y9 I> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" n9 ~8 p4 X1 _- |> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
. y8 h% t) A0 }$ `( @> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
1 }# B+ b( J# C- ]4 B> right back to the pitcher.
>
% d/ d+ H1 a) i2 l7 d8 \8 v> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; P1 x+ \9 Q3 K7 x> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ x  t" ?6 \7 I/ A/ |. f> out and that would have been the end of the game.
* h3 r& ?& F# V. a3 M>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; I7 U% O. D/ _( F; p1 V> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
1 K+ u7 I  Z/ P& s7 K> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: I" r+ f$ r; s. M! @8 y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 R0 W& _& ]& e5 e2 b0 l+ T> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ c0 |; [, @" @/ M; `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ ^4 B, h& h) E! B- x  `  c> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ A: l$ b7 n1 ~7 I> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ U  s( l5 E/ Q' b+ _> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
: w' r9 }9 A$ g' W" k5 N& M> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
* }9 h9 }/ P# n5 \" y  i4 a7 D>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
" U! W2 S$ m7 g1 j7 Z6 O' y+ i  z>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
+ a) ~4 K6 E, m  P$ U! e5 E>
' \8 p7 X7 _% S0 u  ?7 S+ R> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 K* Y5 {. T, @1 j; M/ o: J> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
  E, H& K5 Y5 H% [8 x> '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
6 Q1 b/ x. w+ ?8 O. S- d> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& {' i- Q3 H- f, m5 d( [- f3 D9 s> 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!
2 q% Y( U( g  t& Q) C% H$ I# d>
5 o  |2 A! Q2 j4 ~! V7 P, T$ g> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 ^6 D4 ^* O* g- B) q2 Z0 H4 L> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
9 c2 c5 X3 b7 R. X( I5 F" s>
2 F% r4 ^' [) F; n> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. E. ]) n2 g- J9 d> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% F/ S; X6 @4 x# ~' a, G> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( O" O6 `+ R4 }7 g2 ~. X7 V1 j- k> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
/ f& U, n1 J* d" p1 W> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; L/ O# v8 H: [9 q. T9 P. p; U> 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 P. X; t4 d; H) u' U, P! j>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! i( ^3 [- t) |3 d> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
* ?4 K/ w: k2 n, _; q7 ~>
) R* S9 O- |) G* k. t1 M, [+ f> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.