Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
& d, X0 F3 Q: H% F- ]> 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?
& K) o% c5 M- @7 q" `0 P+ x+ C>
> 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:
>
' B* Z5 @$ r! }: @> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
. o. E; P7 A+ y>
/ `. ~2 C: p6 j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
" H3 `1 G# m: A, g> Then he told the following story:
( }# N; p' h" J6 N5 j>
1 \- y7 F, |6 `> 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
9 ~/ K" [" b% Z* s" `1 b6 n> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 M9 t; c2 ]; ]+ L' c> 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
8 F7 l; m- Z4 M> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
( v3 I1 d& Y0 }6 t4 M' M4 e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 I; ]) c, o# Z0 }> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& D0 ?# \0 H: S$ |. _> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& C5 g+ D! \$ _1 E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 W" R/ v- |' K* H> inning.'
8 O. I: |9 H& ^6 H6 N& M' @5 k  I1 t>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( \/ x: D7 l' U. B" S& n" _> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
8 r$ d. v7 N) X7 e" Z. ?/ y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 v" q2 c2 ]3 i# I& S" }& c1 W( }> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
' j$ s% u2 S( V- ]: t8 {> 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
! m5 X- T/ ]  C8 Q> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
+ ?; r$ Y; K# V1 n+ ?* y) N* ?& @2 m/ S> 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
' O" p+ Z1 s7 Y/ }7 u* o> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
& A, _' L; N# N> next at bat.
- ?8 N+ O% d* E8 B5 U>
9 Q( m( _& W& N8 j/ R  W1 _> 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
) m2 C" M0 O+ C1 P8 ^( {( D> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
, p" K2 S- w+ b! F. I5 {6 N; I& H* V> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( g  Z- Y8 ?& s, i  W4 ?> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
- x% `  R2 E- |) |> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ P; V$ @7 O0 l$ u7 d! }  c> 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.
>
. D1 x0 z/ h. k. q- j7 x7 l* q# S> 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
+ K: w1 h/ L9 z: \9 g> 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,
' w" j5 R- ?/ M- f3 g: g> wide-eyed and startled.
9 W+ _  c: T! V3 ~6 r>
" N/ C# x  e! s, w0 U4 h# A> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# ?" G3 G5 i5 w4 h) K# K> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. [. q: X9 h, Y+ Q( x- S: K, K> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 r3 K3 x  ~, p8 X- }> 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,
> 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
0 n( q- Z. e2 S5 h. H/ s  }  u# r> circled the bases toward home.
>
; \3 v1 K+ H$ B4 s6 U. V0 f> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
8 [) F% D7 B% X) a4 Y& R' ~> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 W6 G4 P# L& \3 C) h3 z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) R3 J" z7 i' _6 z  j8 X> Shay, run to third!'
>
% m7 f1 [$ Y0 G4 q/ K> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 v$ s2 S" L: P: }0 D: e3 h5 F- K  A& H> 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
/ M8 m8 S5 e) ^% t+ J" R. `> game for his team.
>
> '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
5 g. q  i4 U6 J> into this world'.
- \2 j2 d3 ?3 M$ n3 M1 `) D* ~>
' }" _# f3 [; y7 D: l> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
  t3 G- ~" k. U, x> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
. G+ e9 g0 e6 K3 a; q> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
+ \. p. a$ C( x1 h: f2 o; K> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
( _- _' n; J0 l$ z' f1 p/ R1 I% p>
! r6 B) b7 v  t$ o: ?( a1 Y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: _- h7 T* A! d; e* k  g> 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
" T! u2 J) k) z> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
: X/ \. [! F: q4 r6 H" \7 ~> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 L% O( c5 D' ~/ x> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  H6 K9 i$ n( G! @> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* k$ ^' l6 s6 C5 ^> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
$ w. t( t& a/ C> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 i- k* x( a9 h4 b) w0 X6 u. Y2 p> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
% u& M' [! b  ]& ]- w# y>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
; B2 c5 x& w$ ~4 @+ A7 \) j>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.