Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! l9 p- y, r; U/ ~9 ]> 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
6 A3 p. i) o" l) d> same choice?
9 O' `) i. P! e' }* Q- }7 D>
- F3 V4 V* E, q8 v! C7 {6 U( s) }: b' j$ Q> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( I0 q9 X  O, V6 A. d& t% t/ 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
4 ?9 M) A: |2 ]) Q% [3 J. o> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 j& S! g/ Z* p# P' t( L> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* H9 R% c" K. O) r> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
9 {& [6 Y& B- A; I' d- e  E/ ~> The audience was stilled by the query.
/ s& Q. |( R, U% Z* h( y>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 Z, w$ x% [8 N. X  e> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  V6 C1 e7 ~% L! c( v3 H2 v" Q> 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
- o$ Q2 d5 V& M- E2 D* v& U6 n> 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.
8 g  {/ P0 t& w6 z/ v7 i" L/ F>
2 _5 ?/ O) I4 n: G$ l: I> 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
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- s5 ^# k" M$ D, `' {# K> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ P$ `2 M" D& m$ d6 H> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- w2 a/ [2 b: d( G> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
4 M5 t* L/ ~* ]8 _> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
6 s" g, d: s! R% ?6 _& z8 a> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' r: d# X& a$ F8 t8 Y& e> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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1 K  j* }& G4 K$ G7 b> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% w# O4 p' z7 @2 T/ u> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
% A6 o  X9 j6 I5 |/ v> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# p" m9 e$ G4 I" b8 I8 ?> much less connect with the ball.
' K* s" S$ Z9 I( g* E> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
# C# M4 e" q* Z' ]& ~' [: C( s; ?) s> 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
  a, Q" R; x: c3 f> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
  R( f5 b' P: w6 R& S> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 n! b. s6 ]/ ^7 f  [7 B> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, X: w5 A6 N! l. y( D% A> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 G4 u; B$ N; o7 ]9 {  y. O! ~4 I> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
( b/ S5 T. K. A+ D' P> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& N5 _3 W3 h7 f1 i1 j> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
1 P4 \: |9 J0 r9 a& `> 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( e, L6 a& v% n9 R+ p2 U> wide-eyed and startled.
: P5 U2 _; B$ L5 J4 c' O>
+ X6 S$ k, Q$ Q3 U6 T> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ I6 I- o7 `! c8 Y> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
( Q9 J7 a1 o. ^2 V$ p/ F0 \+ ]> 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,
4 _% N3 s- F) Y# h7 F5 A> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
6 A& B+ H9 r3 i1 e9 ]  {>
. @7 A- |/ q/ j> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
7 w5 C( t$ n- K$ u: h2 R> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ _/ E9 Y, h$ |7 U. P+ O) y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
2 ?' \' ]1 B. v6 P, R% z# W# @+ _> Shay, run to third!'
+ w- b3 \; d: h1 J>
, \  G; G! @7 a  g1 j3 [> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
& f: T& e# U4 d  o' d' v# k> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
( u' F" f' }" \; ~$ j; W) b" v> game for his team.
>
! x# G. k3 e- C0 I1 m% r1 q+ n> '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
> into this world'.
0 n* P- [! H. m# z6 \>
6 W1 z$ z! H" t. N) z4 [/ v( ?9 p- z# u  A> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ S& w5 f9 W& |& N7 q, v1 [> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
; r! S  l' w$ n8 Z2 H, f- W- i+ O> 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
. S1 A8 A' G% g1 P' ], R$ s> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 @5 h* b$ C6 ?> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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6 B' r( n( q% V5 H/ ]* j, B5 I9 H> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& D: ~: v/ u0 O$ V) z1 a> 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
/ z7 |5 ]2 Y, c$ L> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 m) X# U7 o% m> 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
% c1 {* C# W0 }> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
; l& V' h6 u: ~# x> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! H# y5 U7 o- p/ O7 x>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
) l6 l' g" v. A3 K/ s$ i> 2. Forward
>
  u* l+ D0 Y- j$ I- h> May your day, be a Shay Day.