Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
> same choice?
>
+ l' _; G8 ]& V8 E: Q> 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
5 Q/ v7 o0 |7 q, C" o+ v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
- U( M) ~0 f* D; M1 O, H7 L> staff, he offered a question:
>
4 D* z  s5 F& C1 W" c> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
  ]& A9 G2 r  }  J' I> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( O9 Q4 F0 e& z2 @; h* t/ F> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
! ^# A) @& I, l2 [4 _3 ^/ I) _>
, |- U: r( g! a) r1 x9 u' q- J> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( Q: I6 F6 R: e2 {: l9 p2 i> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 v& @# S) ^- d) O  h, a> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' U- L8 ]' s9 Q6 }5 L1 d> treat that child.'
>
9 y; o/ q" j+ L( j8 ?> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ n5 V( [) ]2 ]  S- x3 D7 t  W> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- N( ~7 f) H$ J" `8 }7 |> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
; T; S1 C! g3 h. R> 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 d5 q, [. `2 J( M% X7 Y* c5 w9 B9 c> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
, U1 r  g- k+ p- p>
. C. h0 Q, D6 }- t$ R! w> 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
% G& e$ j$ h5 W9 P> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 R5 c9 c* {  V! p% B! G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 X/ T# F. d$ I( e> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
+ Q1 [0 w( ~" |> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
" d) M1 W$ D3 E: z> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) k! Q/ A  A1 `+ s> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
& Y8 k4 _0 |% W  A> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
% \/ h, ?& M! g# f> 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
8 {7 G- |' G. B9 n; ^> 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
* ^; f8 T+ w1 `0 r$ I> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
$ N; n$ Z1 }! W' q, F4 O> much less connect with the ball.
* x. t/ s! a/ B5 f> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- |' k9 w; r. ]( D> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 q* P7 }4 X7 |( t> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
3 F* @. S' Y% N+ Q! u+ s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 p. _& w% D8 R) P) J7 b- t+ Y" \> right back to the pitcher.
6 ?/ k0 f5 g8 q7 v$ M>
( j0 b* i- T# o; w2 D) _9 f> 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
2 ~' |, i  C. H6 p* W> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ A/ l1 N* a6 K. Z> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
! i" a* G* I5 t* \+ Q0 q> 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,
: S, X$ w  D8 A: Q1 x$ P( E* v' z" s> wide-eyed and startled.
- a7 x) V8 z/ Q+ |>
+ y3 R+ \3 Z  i6 `/ ?/ ?: |) H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' T; b8 C+ b% S1 Q8 H! ^> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! A. G( O! o# x- G> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
8 V; t0 @  l3 u2 }% k$ c9 v* L% x> 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
6 y& b, e. b3 t  |> circled the bases toward home.
% g$ w* X$ `9 }+ h: o>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
% @+ ~* ~# O# W, @) X3 V9 K>
> 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!'
>
! {4 V1 r$ C- R4 p4 E% ^5 P> 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 ]$ z) L4 c7 }) c& z- `$ J& d> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- {/ d7 d9 T+ i: u> game for his team.
$ L/ e# X2 C5 h# v, {# @>
> '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
1 P9 H; }, |( _> into this world'.
>
& ?$ A* Z& o+ _4 j) B> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 G( v- j/ o3 [% e" E0 B> 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!
- K4 r6 N: \3 ~  S* h>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
9 ~+ b3 N2 ^. Y* p( c' s> 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
+ E) {: v& ^. E4 L" {1 x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
9 }7 }0 d; I; `/ q9 ?6 x+ J> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
; _4 Z4 Y9 `+ H- y5 w: d% Z( c> 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
0 n, @! N/ L7 `' N6 l> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> 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?
4 I1 y0 |# \9 W1 A, i' u) g4 n>
; Y1 v7 h2 H+ Y4 \5 P+ G> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
0 g5 C: o0 f3 Z( I' G6 L' I5 c- R> 1. Delete
' n  d. Z8 t4 R. p> 2. Forward
/ C8 |9 y8 q' o5 G3 n  b5 [* L. }>
4 V# k6 S; \) _6 c3 G+ s/ u7 A> May your day, be a Shay Day.