Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ l, H) l( R3 L7 Y# o6 |> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
" [- |0 ?4 L$ p4 O& \4 W# b& O> 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
8 u6 n' X8 a% j. H; F> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
: @) @3 R) u/ A. E$ r> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
/ `- b" g6 G8 v/ s+ y7 T> 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.
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> 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.'
>
* V, ]# p0 h! ]> Then he told the following story:
>
7 ^1 [/ M( S" ?& e+ c. G' r> 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
> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
6 z* v6 N8 P, s  d9 h> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* m* a3 m% c& }* }% G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
0 \8 {9 X; F$ X- o# [> 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
! o4 ]% f5 y  C: c6 O. q; J> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
; e1 c( [( A" h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- p. y# ^7 z4 Z* G) r$ }3 n  b. n> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 p  X; b6 p- a/ a0 L8 p  M/ I> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
7 R' p$ l% a( V* t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> 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
4 d! A% o3 K( S5 m* o: B$ g! G  R> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
+ k0 f1 M  U' V+ u, c& D# Z) w9 d> 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
. S. O& J" m) x8 Z> 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
7 @* \+ I$ A8 \% s& H> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 {# I, N/ j# J9 Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
0 M: F8 t" Y6 b& d> right back to the pitcher.
7 j* T. p) ?6 j>
% B" ?( ~+ S" n& `9 k/ C0 A> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 g7 h: y1 T+ G! `5 I" h> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
1 {' B- ^3 m" H  h* a7 j4 V> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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5 D3 ^6 H; i+ i$ E( Q8 i2 p> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  \. f3 m$ ~9 N" B% ^7 ^> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
$ v9 q4 ]1 n- y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 S( s6 A2 j! E! q; K- U> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& K& e% u7 t0 \1 [3 r, n> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 z( ]$ Q( z+ E7 l* S> 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
" H" Z; g) x9 \1 l> 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
7 R6 _' u' i& |  f$ ?' z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
5 a4 Z2 F% _! P) H> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
* T1 K: r3 o, }" P5 E>
( V0 ]- E3 a" t5 P> 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!
7 h9 f2 e" o' _$ B4 W: t> Shay, run to third!'
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  f4 ~) n: u; {& h> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 w/ t- d) H# s> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 o+ \5 E3 y. ]  A$ M4 P0 p# E> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 K! X. h6 ^+ i! L9 ]7 f> game for his team.
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( t5 l9 {/ J: K& j; M> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" U+ m3 c# a: J  X# V; |+ V, N> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 v- r7 m$ ~% X- k> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" h+ x. D- B: o9 P> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
1 V1 i( c" e; c, \* r5 c! v>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
3 W7 A8 t7 I! m3 v4 M: d> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' B4 v, d4 q2 L, O. M> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ G, @& m$ V- J2 V> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
# @8 ~" R- U* W- A( A> 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
> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
( i2 y& ]" [, @2 T, x, a> A wise man once said every society is judged by
& z" d0 `  u- \. K> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
  s4 d* S# a$ N2 P5 n2 n$ `> You now have two choices:
7 ^+ }+ N/ a  A; j  Y% d# T> 1. Delete
  G+ u/ D4 R+ g, A9 l> 2. Forward
>
! G/ q+ F3 q& x> May your day, be a Shay Day.