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?
8 `. l$ p: `2 L2 M7 g3 |>
$ y( q& I5 t" _- Y: m$ e2 p> 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
4 r% \  N2 I1 I  V> 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
3 X( d( |. n! C) K- `" z> 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?'
>
4 e  ~8 z* B0 g, G9 |6 G& e8 e: q$ G> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
# S$ C' T0 g( Y  z0 `> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 R4 _, q8 P1 V  p0 m> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 z! {: p) u/ q6 l" M5 D> treat that child.'
>
/ ~" V3 ~- W: S! B1 M( ?/ w$ k% s> Then he told the following story:
0 m1 L. _0 h* S0 y" K3 A>
! f6 l+ L, v8 D  j! u) e# Y& \8 H" t> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, `1 M+ P' H3 B  _> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) w' |) A  L9 ~8 v' v4 m7 [# `! @. ]> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
0 m; }  }' s4 ^4 O' {* b3 ?> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
6 k+ r, N( G6 h8 l: W>
2 [8 w. n5 c& |8 g5 G' f+ v> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 s. V/ X5 P+ a6 w/ ?# j> 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
+ x1 H' Q+ d8 d) K> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
7 j' E9 Y% j  K6 A( C: w3 \> inning.'
; H; ]5 |, b+ ]/ E>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ I3 ?" C. P( M# c7 _  P+ Q> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
( Y% [" }2 q& Q' L> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
& d, L4 T$ I. L3 j5 s( r> 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
& a0 e8 h6 A7 S( h. k> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 _/ v" ]8 F0 H9 _, D: q2 _" k> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
; Q5 V* |% S9 G6 K3 |> 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
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ c0 o8 L. ]' Z* x& H> 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.
: k5 y, g$ ~( g8 [" `> 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
4 y5 k4 X' `5 M( P> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# {& z( e- O* Y0 f> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
( T9 m/ X* a$ o) a& K>
9 r$ y9 _  K' U# I" W+ z1 T> 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
4 B: d7 f, d& Y8 @> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
( O7 q1 o. a) a1 [- a" m! k> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( [: x- }  ~: I" R> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
. r& u" `( [; F> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ k2 m% i8 F4 I- W9 a% r& u> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 a5 R# f) E$ V  p> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
8 x- c5 q/ O6 G" @& @> 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,
0 I7 w6 x: T; b+ B5 M+ P# {> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
/ u. k4 Q  C/ @# M3 `; H>
# M" k( `. l  D( P& s: @> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
6 q/ |: F8 f3 k) R2 }. r>
6 B- b# D9 |, S' A> 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!
- o/ U8 j2 k1 h9 Q' g$ a0 @5 _' g( F- U> Shay, run to third!'
4 m0 T* d) }$ ~$ ?* d0 r>
> 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
9 c8 z, e' K! M" ^1 \6 J> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  C2 n6 n) f7 K- K> game for his team.
# W* w9 J! D" |>
9 W+ g9 L) K' t$ v2 Z3 S> '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
  G+ B1 o5 {+ l! ^> into this world'.
3 ~6 r+ ~/ n7 q$ a# i>
2 ?" `' R1 M( U9 o! l. m3 Q> 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
* q9 s/ b0 j# \+ @> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
; N9 y. a/ B: W6 x$ f9 T>
> 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
$ a% K1 b4 G) X% b> 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
/ E! q8 p; B" T; ~' A& ]: k> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
3 U( o/ E; M4 D' u> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! z! U& r6 f3 x/ F# g> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
& R! ~  U. ?: C>
$ {' r7 ~9 |; z( G" V. V$ Q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
  F7 {! V# |7 I  F$ ~+ \>
9 u8 B9 |9 T' u! A> You now have two choices:
+ I9 l9 {0 `3 ~; x8 n" h> 1. Delete
" o  d9 S! E0 Q> 2. Forward
/ H9 X- P: N" V>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.