Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 l& F! I2 I/ ~> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 r8 U. f, d/ W( S* A6 h0 \! P0 W> same choice?
>
' b, z  Y* x! h, J/ X" L/ ]> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 c) x* C7 b: }> 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:
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: @4 }, }7 {3 V0 ]6 {% c$ J> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 n- s- ]6 f' o; q5 o- K4 Y0 M  |& t> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 D) T* z+ p7 n* n> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
7 `' M# [# I6 c6 C' R+ U- `>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 O6 |. F  M  {2 F/ {. m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% B8 C, J4 }3 O- x: p> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" d+ O8 a2 s" |! e! z7 I> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, {8 ~' }- |4 k- e> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ b2 R5 P( p+ T- ~( n9 C$ a> 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,
. |# Z6 e( E( E" l> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- K$ p+ ~# M* }9 ^2 [; @+ z. y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
8 c. ]( F# f4 g>
' w& G' F8 z3 H% c+ l, Q7 p> 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
7 K) _; ~( c' {5 `! P& e6 d% P  T> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 h( b, L! y5 I! C1 @# }1 `> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ y3 `4 r5 I" a0 a9 j> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ X- ~: c) j1 ^3 ^> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 n3 E) ~; e% r  Y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 f# n4 f/ T2 ]1 N> 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
! Y/ Z8 v$ W9 z7 [> 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
  s3 a' H4 [7 y6 D. s# q3 y> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
7 T/ Z+ Z6 d) j+ q) J> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 \; B% n! a2 P, c% K> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 w, p1 M+ B' W; `. m6 I! x2 _9 f> 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,
9 j- J6 i- M5 i0 E$ m$ L2 R> much less connect with the ball.
1 h# q- B) R3 b0 E" w4 H/ q> 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
: ]" ~2 \* z2 i7 j2 x> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 F$ w$ h  K* f/ ]3 l> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
* p5 l1 n# g* E4 j1 q( M- a> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% p+ _! V! k. ]1 i  f, I> 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.
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2 B/ s% D, C7 N! T* N> 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
" g% t- \2 E" r> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. O5 `& w0 F7 _& e> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. j3 s; `$ w; \> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 G0 }! C$ ^# g6 Q> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& m! `4 c7 X2 U% [. s" r> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 W' u8 {. K! g$ J> 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
1 I7 i* [& |% [, n3 o$ \2 L$ p> 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
! O7 h: g1 P) Y7 a> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
( ?; r0 w0 j% L5 L. S, e( e> circled the bases toward home.
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" T7 t0 [2 x8 X3 p8 r3 }# l" l; y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 }. K! |8 L1 c$ n> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- F5 g: O3 t4 x> Shay, run to third!'
% g# D8 \) c( N# b) j3 A>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* h0 u7 g, `! T0 s1 J> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
7 _" Y; a2 m6 A1 m1 ~> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ U, x/ x6 G, V" J9 I* o* j7 C, Z) d> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 _! m. l8 B0 m/ V4 h$ o> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
% U. t1 r( W. Y+ p> into this world'.
>
2 P, G5 P! h. ^> 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
4 Q4 s' w& k6 Z> 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
  u9 G7 M5 o  a> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: a6 y) Y: }* h- |> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: e  l; G( Z: R4 M. S>
0 c) `& g' ^. G( l> 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
4 u+ k' U( O: x> '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
/ @; _4 y+ ?* M# m: i> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 D4 U4 U$ q5 m3 Z5 w; t2 ?> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
; T0 A( {+ B! _3 F) Q  O> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
  X3 I9 U: t  i. V) e* n+ l: {" N+ D> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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7 g) G$ a  X& i1 m; T/ I) ~> You now have two choices:
% |& l5 M, Y, c9 v! j: W( R( L> 1. Delete
  P2 X. B7 v6 J2 {( C$ ]> 2. Forward
>
6 m( e7 M: e  T3 K1 T, N> May your day, be a Shay Day.