Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
8 W8 f3 G9 p% b+ I" j> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 J7 b# y1 `" V3 b! t> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
, \' H4 m# u! j3 z$ m8 {$ I/ [> 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:
>
) d+ `+ Y5 q, z) F5 [9 R> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! p2 X9 a: b6 O& k( H1 X- n) u> 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
( B* p9 H2 e. u: q> natural order of things in my son?'
; j- K$ P( K- w# y4 A>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
* T. f3 b3 f3 y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" _; l* ~6 U0 N% J  z& S" k" Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- v4 O; {7 ]) {) v- n; k& Z' r3 t> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' g# {/ x2 t4 U. X) O8 \7 T> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
0 o: A; I; `# ~# _( N- h> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. A$ h: L$ }* ~; l  l3 o0 U> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
4 B3 o- j' {, W: X8 O> inning.'
# Z" ]  `% |5 ~>
> 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
3 m+ q  u* U6 @; R3 _> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
; \, O2 @2 a' Q& ~; q7 b" x1 a> 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
7 P# X& @* R8 o' q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* n; V: b. ^) p# @+ Z3 f6 m> 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
+ X: ]" G$ G' n8 @3 o- i( |> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; D9 _# G$ _( W* P5 m7 A> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, r  t% q+ i6 F0 A> next at bat.
>
4 \6 M% s: P3 v9 B7 j2 l! u> 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.
2 x0 |3 g! L8 T2 W> 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
0 u6 n! a% t$ u% s6 C> 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.
/ G" i8 X+ h# f% P2 O+ q7 }3 N> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
6 e+ U6 E  E, L>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 e; E# Q! o# K1 B8 h# s> 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.
>
, ]1 ?5 m% G) y- }/ z> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' v: v. x4 j. s> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
2 U' k2 p+ ~$ k( ~+ ~3 D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# z: h1 z2 g" x! K. z> 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
> 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
, ?, a) O# X+ v4 j4 D% Q> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
0 }* z3 O5 f! H: q+ V3 x  S3 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!'
>
; |. j: F" ~/ L2 ^0 m. ~4 \> 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
3 |% b, A% r- |9 \6 T> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  g+ G/ s7 J1 ]> game for his team.
! ~5 ^  ~9 c( p3 B+ S" j* P0 v: b>
* Q* W* k/ p2 H+ f) x) c> '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
> into this world'.
6 }6 T0 p+ I3 P6 U2 L$ H9 u; E. L>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* z2 E$ f( l/ z- A' o> 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!
' i2 l" F9 ?+ a: @5 Q( d>
0 n! @1 j! f2 @2 Q! H. L> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
( Q, \  n. 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
$ w7 `) O& u( T) T; W% l! V> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
& I3 i: r5 l( E  M' A% J% _3 K0 }: t! Z> 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
* Z$ W% H$ e9 ?% l5 U1 p- v) @9 g8 @> '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
/ M/ U3 U+ ]1 F> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. ]! Q% `. d+ t4 `> 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
! r8 w% r( T$ m2 E0 g* w" o( N> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
& |9 @6 x6 U- c/ `) u& A>
* Y. ~8 e. X; Z3 A; T# h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
* n/ d2 O: F2 c+ T3 ?9 n: t> You now have two choices:
# a) T" Z0 T7 V* L> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
& M$ L+ U7 e' `; S5 v) e>
) J8 a" C0 U( w6 A- z/ N> May your day, be a Shay Day.