Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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; a9 q' n5 \) A2 f& B1 `> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 @' R9 c5 f5 u; u  Y9 {( D! Z> same choice?
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  V5 _$ M1 ?' n- c7 w+ F> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 J6 s) L& q4 J* A! @! V> 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
$ f8 x" J$ d, D> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
& f8 P3 z8 J5 X- A2 I4 w> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, |' c! V' F  J$ Z7 k7 w/ w( K0 c> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( G4 j$ o$ ~- F; M/ |9 B( @  d> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 T' E/ q+ d6 y- I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
" l9 F% @' A3 C> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
1 O0 A5 H! I) L2 J! G2 l> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
( }& ^& h+ k* A9 `> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. Q, s- ~- k% D0 c' n+ Y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 `+ ^/ [  W8 @5 H$ J( }9 {) H> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( f$ A6 B% K6 \1 q/ p* U2 s> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 a" ^4 Q) w# ^7 m> 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
, G' m( H  [5 L4 R> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
3 Q& _9 N0 E: a2 a> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
+ k6 j; j$ |( m/ l! Y* M% _9 }4 R- N> 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
) ~4 V% \$ v8 a! |( N> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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& X# t9 a  x2 {, ?! \2 Z7 G> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
0 y+ J% V) U% u5 X> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* h- f' t$ P, ^- V> 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
$ w# X! K% S2 b' K4 h0 H% s> 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.
& O  }5 f+ R# x3 f1 N- c> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
5 {  C+ d& u8 l% s; M, T( T& J> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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% X: v, Q; \2 [0 i1 v0 |+ C9 Y5 ?/ J> 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
' f' x# A- G) e! b+ m3 R2 x) a> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( i# t2 ~3 L1 @/ J! [/ {0 R& J> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& }9 w6 H9 C: }& i> wide-eyed and startled.
>
: a5 g6 K; X8 g5 S2 r> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; C1 A4 C  P, r  M/ t; d2 k> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& J) K, a( V6 x4 C6 e. i> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  I3 X2 f2 ]& J$ ^9 E  d, C> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 m# M, B6 n! w> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
, p2 c7 b2 g4 c* S: {+ \3 e> 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
3 o" p! `( c9 R' u  V9 t+ M- O: a> circled the bases toward home.
>
" B8 ?# j. c# l3 B> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 y6 M% {7 O2 z9 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
, A! j5 L: H" C4 E$ u" B> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# o, m, l6 q% k* L: G" V8 k  v> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
4 W6 D  d8 l  _5 o/ l  B> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 `4 G% o0 g" N0 O: p/ 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" h& n+ m* l, H: _$ C> 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
4 Y% E' d" z5 H" S5 x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 W, F+ z! Y, j' k1 j> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. z3 J8 t, m3 L; [4 g> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- F- Z7 r# p. ~; c  o" c> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
# M3 b* n3 p7 e& y* Y0 p5 I> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% I( E2 m4 n# L8 c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
! e4 ~/ b, |9 [; o0 Y4 E( }> You now have two choices:
! |3 B4 O* B5 V- b3 p> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.