Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
4 T: P: C" Z6 ~% K7 K0 k> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 J4 ?' @7 L% A6 N4 K& K2 C> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
" i# F4 Q4 J$ K9 t' M( R, ~> same choice?
>
. C! y- q6 m' _. E> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 i. X( B( x* s+ A8 Z: S% _/ R> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ F. e2 r# Z$ S' T; n1 W8 S, \> natural order of things in my son?'
1 Q0 }1 g" {. M) I. S>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
9 ]: Q: h( D7 k6 s>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' [/ x2 z. _# q# X6 N> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' q/ J1 p! y0 n" ~$ @> treat that child.'
8 Q. Y4 i/ l% N>
1 O9 B% T7 l. x  b& L9 i' s> Then he told the following story:
>
! ^0 ]0 x/ o5 E. `* O3 l8 e: P> 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
( w! N. r- f5 k# N> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
$ i& Z2 b4 ~9 q# s5 S5 L2 C# t> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
/ f) U$ X) q5 z" A" Y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 V4 \: j4 U7 D1 q3 c) a4 x& {; }> 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
3 P; z' J, L: v. m0 A> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& G3 f3 h) Y: h6 v> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ E7 I' q' Z% ~, q> inning.'
>
: [+ Y4 T. q% A- q! L3 U& Z/ q5 ?. v( W> 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
! T5 I- P" m+ j. p+ u4 b6 O> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* K2 E% l# q  ]/ U> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ P2 O0 \7 @" m8 G% 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
! R# G4 l8 l) `) b' F2 g> next at bat.
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* O- Y5 `! G9 ~5 e> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* M  d* r9 N2 Q> 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.
7 n8 Y+ T/ o8 A" i( D6 J> 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
- N9 B. z3 n4 C4 P5 h> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
! }: d3 L: R/ M6 C/ H2 r> 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
6 ]9 c0 d0 k! T5 P. t) B7 K" v> right back to the pitcher.
2 E# V( f1 u/ ?1 o& N. H+ c>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% I) C$ @$ N+ O8 G) h5 a7 I> 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.
. q6 T: ]# {* e- R& k' p# h>
# h+ B% }& B$ @$ @7 m& Z> 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
/ e0 g8 E2 I& R* ?+ D8 r# f$ @> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ R, l# x8 X7 e' m> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
6 x$ v3 f. v5 j, T> wide-eyed and startled.
>
  T; f3 K4 E3 D& H3 v2 k$ p> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
0 D  q" Q; f$ K6 d> 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
/ _; g. n2 q* q3 b* w> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
% U  F1 p. e/ f4 L/ k> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
1 j) o! f8 G& i; g, Y6 L>
- a) e3 I( v- O$ [5 J/ Q+ q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
/ l- g* K# p' ^* g8 k0 L>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% o) J  {% U6 f> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
/ A+ y, |1 N/ A" O> 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
4 F" b6 i, j9 j( {- f> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: u/ }5 x3 l6 v4 I* d  F> game for his team.
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8 k; v$ M  A% `+ K! m8 ?> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ t: T8 h1 T: `' J' x! e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
; d1 w9 @6 R# d! y6 p> into this world'.
+ N- L1 G( q, ^) P: r, X>
> 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
, q/ l2 p+ R! B% c7 z> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
( {( D  K( J, w" }; Y/ q8 _& u>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  x/ x7 x+ E4 f1 d) j0 U> 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
. W! }' E, n' r( ?$ S6 O* i3 \" _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
8 ~- t8 d8 M& e>
! z. j4 |4 \- U> 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
$ A" I! o7 {3 L$ @4 u, F; k> 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
: V; s; b! h9 |6 r* A> 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
0 j8 l$ }8 ~8 x5 A1 b# U( B) \> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
9 x, ?+ {0 @" D' E; D: b8 O> You now have two choices:
' r3 \. \% u" I4 s# \1 _; ^9 c> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
0 [3 `" g5 @0 n# ^8 V( @( _>
$ P0 f+ b! Z1 }6 a7 j! s> May your day, be a Shay Day.