Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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1 D: H) k1 R! o1 q> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 c2 k) K/ O7 B; ?5 z4 M> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
: g, v5 y7 j. Z5 ^! Q9 q9 ^> 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
: J' `2 G* N+ \# y7 m2 V> staff, he offered a question:
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: Y" y, Q9 B, ]$ v  t> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* q4 l( a- X5 o. b4 X> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 S8 \' H* c' L+ v9 a+ i> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
6 [* A& I+ J( C> natural order of things in my son?'
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! @& C% {% r* A- W) s> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
  u& B+ ^0 z& V# R/ P% T> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! ~9 L4 l5 [! J" t> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) \- \5 a  A, a7 E% b& ^$ G) F% g& u> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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,
; i& o! H- g) @! Y" b. \0 K7 C> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 `  N, w! A- h> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
8 Y0 m7 l+ E; u+ H% l: t( E2 M% q! U> inning.'
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& h' Y7 u! h. W- ?7 l> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
" F4 @2 p' T/ K! C$ U& m1 n# f> 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
. m6 Y8 D, G4 n$ f> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
) Z6 K2 L' U' `9 G> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& W4 E& W$ E" u4 }5 C" v/ R> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
1 r9 T) e3 r0 `, y  B3 i> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> 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
> 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
3 f) b. a3 T5 X2 S' {+ A+ m> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; l* t+ ?4 e; ?> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) R: M0 O( K" n6 C0 O. ~4 F> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ f# q( ?3 k/ p) w5 }% f3 u2 m( p7 N> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
$ a1 r, r; }+ W3 B" e> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
0 L7 q% q0 U3 P8 _- C5 ?  @) A> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& U$ U/ h  \% r+ J; ]> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. W* w3 P+ |3 f; y9 s" I- f1 |> 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
* r, L; I, z4 A) Q> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: l7 {% D  W, Z5 X7 s  p4 z> 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,
" I9 B# N9 s( D  U: P, a+ ?3 B6 t' c> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
; M' A# ]5 E# `* X$ o. j* Q& N; Z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
5 N! o4 |: Z1 Q> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
9 |6 I# N+ B) Q  y' d> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) O- W$ u3 k" I3 b- G# z4 B> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
9 J0 x, J$ W7 L: G+ r/ M> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
1 ]: |; @/ r, o' _> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
& A3 s7 a4 w; r2 p> game for his team.
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> '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
9 \) k9 }9 T, ?+ L> into this world'.
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4 M6 ?* j) {: y& B; f> 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!
>
> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* Y. j/ k' n+ W: _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: m. _# H7 W/ w& u2 K6 m/ ~> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
, \* g  Y' e+ e/ Y> 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
! n2 p7 U- W2 a. @1 T5 u7 ?+ a> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
0 `' ~( V: k1 N8 E7 w  K3 d> 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?
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* N  p% |: a; S+ X* J* p2 ?- W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) v+ ]2 x. R* H/ u> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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& Y; u' ]8 y+ r  N5 Z3 G' S> You now have two choices:
# `- @( b1 c! x! ]" a> 1. Delete
7 \: F% H) V  ~' y> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.