Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
6 c4 D9 Z* s! c7 F1 c$ v6 f>
> 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
* A, P  a) T7 e' e6 L> same choice?
9 W+ f0 G: P$ R2 w>
2 k+ f* h# s; \5 z+ I; b1 a4 j: y> 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
" H; b6 j3 |# W" _0 _# n3 g7 y: Q> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
0 g2 H5 f( z% r$ h" }$ ^% k> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- J( P- I" A4 o! I6 ~> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
$ ~- t  o; G, q6 ?: d" n> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 ?/ ?! A! K+ \/ o% z0 C+ P> natural order of things in my son?'
- {, {; l& S+ a2 W3 ~* e>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
* g: M) n7 o  r6 @>
: S9 H& `+ y$ F0 i) n9 Q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! D  G+ ^0 D4 f2 t9 N+ c> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
: S$ M" v/ B) M. `+ U7 P& i> treat that child.'
! }& p8 m9 q8 ~; a" y; g! G>
> Then he told the following story:
; h$ l9 l! \3 D1 f4 }) ]. w>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: _# `& J, c6 T  X1 |> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
" I( q, M' Q3 a: A> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( F5 t- P0 A4 R  L0 S- v% j> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 d7 ~# ?! n! `& R4 X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
5 h- B- z- U! }0 L9 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
* b9 O# B$ Q2 y! _6 s1 X> 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.'
>
: K- [' Y% R1 ^+ S3 u> 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
* p. E/ j- ^, W' t+ ?> 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
> 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
3 W7 Q/ G' I8 H3 ~7 d> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- Q" O2 O# U1 d8 C* C: b/ F> next at bat.
>
2 I$ r. s9 q: a+ ?+ m> 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,
> 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
% a8 |$ G- d+ P3 w3 d9 B8 f8 ^& j# _> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  ~( H, Y4 ?% a( F4 j> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
/ c1 _3 @# p  m> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
/ P6 l# h6 R# X- \" S> right back to the pitcher.
>
; g6 _7 _' z$ @> 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
/ B; ^. _2 B/ L1 o6 D5 M> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
! }/ h. G, o4 h> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( s2 U. B4 R$ b% ?! P$ t> 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
% {& j: I# i) ~> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 }$ D0 S: N% ?. R% \1 U> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 n  F- f/ `) \> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 b+ H. ~1 q0 J! o* f> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  G8 M9 O5 Q5 t  c; K> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
  A8 V# b0 g7 ^> 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
$ g* H/ ^9 J* T* J! |. y  _# y; E> 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
$ l4 |( Z- n* L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; V. g) f9 R6 _! I> circled the bases toward home.
3 s  q1 d9 i1 W* ?; `>
& J- r2 g4 K% `# y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
7 U" Y+ S1 R" W3 ~* l" ]9 @1 F: t& G>
+ C6 f$ U; }# H, i5 T9 T  R> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ m0 }! W5 c2 v7 T> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 {2 o+ c5 _4 ]) {  M& u> Shay, run to third!'
* j5 x' p0 |' a# Y>
5 \' K  O8 q0 u0 Q" F5 V! p& v! X4 j> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! X, q3 w& a/ ^5 T" m1 N& T> 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
6 T; `' @2 u7 b; z> game for his team.
>
) {* R; s: x2 _: ?7 _2 G> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& ~7 `! d' X7 |3 ]$ s6 s> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- x- V% ]4 @" I6 a> into this world'.
' {1 E. p, l, R+ P5 A( F>
1 @/ F; J4 H6 k* C, ]> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( \6 ^/ o0 ?! L% P6 _0 y& X> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  {: Y0 k2 d5 f( g  d+ }> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
7 i# J* P( q4 B% g; K. M( P> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 a7 [: O7 B% ~4 o; i> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
3 h) E: |3 h8 Y% y$ b0 V>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* @7 Y, ^5 O) }: A( _> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
: q  w* O3 g9 H6 R> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
; M7 |  w/ O) B> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
/ ^2 s" i  \. W9 E( J( R> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 R3 _0 J% H* D3 b> 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?
. }$ j) T1 J+ k4 I>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' h# h. ?# N7 x) b> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- n8 |- Y: Z6 a' Y. T) w- X> 2. Forward
) R5 d; n$ r! u, l" [- z>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.