Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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5 {# b. D% r! V> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, q/ K' B' ]! F* i> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
$ v! K% j9 B4 _% X/ p$ ^; ^* E> 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:
>
( s; L. Q0 V( x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( g/ I0 P# d# t% x> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 R! u# ]: f" v, C; |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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6 |0 ]$ n/ O  @. r3 g* O> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* t9 w- s0 j9 m6 Y6 Z$ n. O. y2 P> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ `$ A8 C- y8 |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ x" s" ]! A& ]1 j3 |' L9 ?# N! Q& R> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ K2 J& }0 C6 v+ X9 v( `3 R; q, a$ F> 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,
+ C1 y+ B+ N3 {' w0 @# z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
: C7 a) f( p7 f% o6 m> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; }- N0 T( [- I8 Q/ H6 l> inning.'
>
. W1 h# R' v" u; e! n> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- r$ }2 G1 @( ], y4 Y( C> 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
" \- N1 o: X( y& [8 K, E9 P> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ R6 n# P" p5 w* z/ k> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
& V+ t* _4 H! _( p( ^0 L* L+ [/ \. h> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: ]7 s& ?& B7 y7 K, Z, N% W1 W> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 k9 h8 N: i7 d7 d1 T1 z' z> next at bat.
>
4 S, H( m- g! s8 F+ x7 X$ x+ s1 R> 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
3 }3 w0 q! z( ]* i- W/ W6 |0 w> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
1 r% f# ?' n  V1 V5 v# |) r: l1 k> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 l3 ^6 V0 X% D/ S/ p> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ b' _8 y4 A! }8 a> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- S  Z1 ?. A. L/ _> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ E" ]3 S2 m6 V  u) U> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
" s# a# V4 W5 E> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
& r# t3 E  d* K  y( [" H, ]0 x1 [> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 r+ b7 q; ^( w> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
% y2 ^" S, e6 F> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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& W1 V9 w3 u1 y7 [9 l# _> 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
2 s, D  j5 D: r) ^> 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,
% Z: d3 k, v) i9 H( s- H+ {> 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
& A9 k( A. m. l) T> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 V+ |" P' B: T7 Z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
' b0 z3 Q+ R# `6 d8 @: `  t> 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
) C* I6 M- D/ L% {" v) Q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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% `) v/ F8 z! X8 U# B& J/ w> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  M! ^0 r4 g1 `4 ~> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 }( _7 C2 e" ~  @> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  d; ~) k* R. [7 L) V> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) b3 ?' c% ?$ n, x# a> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 S/ P6 I7 {4 `: u+ Z6 ^4 J2 O> 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
( o3 N' Z- X8 R" E> into this world'.
>
> 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
# m: j* Q7 p! J> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
5 C/ \+ B* u1 _' T# i: V> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% }; J$ X  q" o( A, t+ v6 U> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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7 h: Y. N  x/ x2 f& I, Y8 y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) k5 k" s% Q, t  ^* r) F> 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
6 ?" B& m1 T3 W( `0 r> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
6 C- {. Z0 f/ Y! S, d7 @7 G> 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
6 u# _- T( U, `. T, D6 A! f& P> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> 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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2 g0 e: Z0 x8 ]" b# Q+ g> You now have two choices:
3 w% N. Z1 f8 L$ U> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.