Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
* _9 p$ E! z. C4 u3 x( e> 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
3 R) ]3 y, e" v  O; t7 L+ t> same choice?
>
$ C; B9 W/ c8 n> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
( \  Y& r& y6 K/ f* C8 [> natural order of things in my son?'
>
9 Y4 R' m* c1 c: @" ]+ [> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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.'
' }" @8 n# J9 w6 r3 v" t>
; K$ O9 Q2 v+ [0 K1 M9 v! c> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 X7 P0 b* |8 N: H! E8 w> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
4 V9 ~) I6 D( d* _( E5 |> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. h& n# F7 J3 X! e4 z> 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.
>
( G- t, q6 b# T* [5 {> 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
3 t+ Y2 f" D- J> 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
; V  U$ E! Q/ K8 b3 z6 E> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
2 k/ N& L/ G( A6 N> 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
> 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
2 Y1 R6 t" M3 ^> 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
0 u& N4 }" N2 _2 W7 A, _9 E> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% M3 y/ L, F' }( v4 E/ Y8 i> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
2 H' e9 X0 W8 E8 m- r! L+ r> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
7 E" Q+ E4 b% k> 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.
! f, U6 u# d9 {  R: b1 E3 ]3 I> 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  `7 k% b. M$ g/ Z> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; `( ]' U$ }; W" l% a2 d: @1 W> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- D: K0 G* A! K% D. z# Z0 X> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
: \2 f  M8 u- z1 V( Z" y; l% l% C>
> 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.
>
% ]1 a5 w% c: {/ g+ v0 N6 a8 k, I> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( ~% d# O# d2 ]! s/ j4 a> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
4 o2 `, I8 T" s3 T% @> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 s) |/ v9 Q2 B* o> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
1 `) N' m: G& m* ~7 c0 R> wide-eyed and startled.
8 d6 w9 B4 G& W8 r3 T3 X4 i& x, V>
2 S& e6 S* J. y* \' r$ \% U- o> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" ]! b/ @0 T+ \5 p9 B> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- X+ c# D* V5 t0 ]1 o6 F> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
* Q7 Z) L$ i2 a6 [> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ t" [' U5 n/ R/ }& r* N/ f: c> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 S7 f5 T) K, o, f> 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
4 T. S/ B& i5 [! i' q> circled the bases toward home.
4 I) k$ N- `+ J7 B- o>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
7 d6 ?8 W$ x' W% e! m; ?2 r% ]>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 Y$ J2 q1 Z% B0 x" U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
' Z' f( _7 @) x6 [+ D1 w; g>
# m9 C- J9 W6 c> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; E/ r3 i5 }5 w6 U8 ?> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, p: c7 h' v, {* _/ p> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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
) z# x$ L* |% {9 o3 p> into this world'.
+ B5 T1 Q: r6 i0 G>
6 {, f0 x9 Q! v% ^" D> 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!
1 ^! h3 f0 _! S8 t>
9 ~$ ^& x' r) D1 h6 X8 c" A2 }> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
+ ~, Q7 j' Y* r- Q, Y> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
! i5 ?8 D6 \6 F; i* m( J> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
  I  a2 i4 k: p; f: P) V! r4 t% `> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( V) I0 b% n" H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
% G- Z  u' N" y% q' W1 G) T>
* A4 V5 r% Y0 N' Z* k> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ f/ t" P' }; {, y( t> 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
( v, ~2 s1 Z8 [* y6 c> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
8 Q  a4 ^7 w% n0 {>
, O$ Z$ t; z3 C4 y> You now have two choices:
1 b; s! t1 e: M8 K, o* I/ `> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
) t& {1 R+ N& y* C9 X> May your day, be a Shay Day.