Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 R$ q; n  |  l3 d! T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; C1 G* B. ~( u" j' d1 y> same choice?
>
: s" M* R% a3 x: a0 M" A& {> 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
" H' N% l6 c% @+ t2 e7 q0 O> staff, he offered a question:
>
  N* R: y; p, d$ c$ P6 p. c6 }> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, ?; D; Q4 n" f* X: |/ q  u6 h1 ?5 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
9 x/ P5 d6 S& I! E  L. B& e3 t> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
0 A$ P$ [9 u' l* `$ }1 }>
5 ~4 @- ^: E0 v6 @2 Z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 I# Z, }; A- N$ h0 b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& a) S: _0 @8 a' i6 u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" k" @% b. u5 `  U# l> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
7 ^# i/ F9 q4 v5 h> 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
6 z* S; |4 M; V! J> 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
2 N% }" b7 d! K1 w3 [* _, |> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
7 Z4 p1 m4 a* ]4 Z' N# m) ]+ w>
! J" E" \( s* _3 n0 k> 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
6 D* I! D- B4 i2 x4 a$ V6 H  t  M8 F> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
$ l8 K9 h" ?0 e; b1 A9 _> inning.'
: j4 N0 \& A+ R4 k( G>
* [# s. ^) {) ?' K5 A# v> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 T+ \: ]# g4 Z9 p0 O! u. d> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 l+ j. e( B) q! C5 X> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 x/ o4 j- r  c6 ?. {) z> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ r+ f! o$ B2 _. j> 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
> 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,
! a, {8 }% c" ]% P6 b* [> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 d) h7 O4 `# x> 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
- V" l$ q5 j- l" ~9 Q" J* K% J3 ~7 r> 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
8 Y* X" a9 j5 C4 e& |> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
0 s7 g% R+ |. E1 f; y3 N0 c# |. c>
- v+ }- f; Y; l( B> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
  i. R; l& p% P6 d3 s  w1 Y; W> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ _' v9 b5 v2 F: j$ f6 t> 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,
: m/ [& ]# S2 V" V% A6 Q> wide-eyed and startled.
>
! b4 r; L, g$ \5 y- Q. X+ _' w7 r7 D> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' t9 ^5 L$ h2 s: 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
4 E& |- {; ]7 H7 s: C! _8 y> 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
. E  u# m; I% v> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
5 N' c+ w3 F1 Y$ q" M; v: V>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
! Y* I" d9 p1 s; S9 Z* a>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* ~+ Q9 ]% g- Q0 Y( q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
  d/ T9 q) f/ D# r* s5 x! ~8 v>
. Q/ s/ V& [' u% c- Z4 v( E> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! k2 ]9 I7 n4 ?/ a. z> 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
> game for his team.
* p5 ?' @+ W: x# X>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 o. A+ R+ y& n6 ?+ B3 [> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
, W2 U  O. F* ~0 j> into this world'.
4 p, u0 b9 Z' b>
& H7 S: i: z+ J$ c% m> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
$ p- t1 _* Z% p7 i  W>
> 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
/ s- b2 H2 v6 O% x5 d6 g4 ?% p> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) e: V0 W# n' F" ~$ l) |> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
6 B, [; u6 y5 L/ A! y. O> 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
> 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
8 y) ^3 Q& B) @) X  ?> bit colder in the process?
: ~7 b1 V, Z2 `# n0 v>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 O( E) b9 t  k, ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
' G& T' b8 \. W  E2 B) x>
& ], S/ J0 `+ N3 O6 ~4 s5 V> You now have two choices:
3 m3 b# K) y* a+ [> 1. Delete
) o9 p/ {; ?/ A/ @* p> 2. Forward
' C2 ?3 c* I0 M$ @7 i- e9 c  g1 [>
" ]) `& l% W, C* \8 b  e> May your day, be a Shay Day.