Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
8 U5 \* y; L% k8 \; o>
) i' D# T4 ?+ @8 I* E3 R6 }> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
8 S2 U9 h' _, Z  {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
0 J; p- R, k- s>
& _5 k, \. ?3 w> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' T) g4 [/ u  I3 d0 _, G. J0 a- [2 a> 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
" C) G6 ?) _3 a2 ]> staff, he offered a question:
>
% p5 v# _# v" V' Q6 b/ A> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 y2 L, l; z7 O, s> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  c# X) O9 ~% R, B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
. P% |- g$ Z) Z6 g( W/ i: d> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, w9 D' P+ H( w4 {2 o5 N> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 H- J5 \+ s& F6 x- O> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' U  V0 z2 D- o. p# `4 B* E> treat that child.'
>
; s$ x" d) @+ l$ A0 H> Then he told the following story:
>
$ v; b8 O5 v% G# K> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' l% z! p6 F  E" |* |/ Q9 H" X* {> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 ~& I0 u/ G( N2 b% Y5 ]  b> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
# F& W  N$ T: D> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. m+ j9 v1 I9 x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
9 f* u$ t" p' @2 K, k+ D> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
* }' q# ~% d+ `1 A6 J1 f>
4 c8 i* ~; y. L' `" b; {> 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
& L) h  R- {) D, e  ~; b> 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
> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  u$ i& Q6 x! B& O7 p0 ~> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 x% n- j4 d$ V# I  e) N! N0 ~0 v> 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
0 u# v+ e& U" n" O2 k4 P> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
( M( H& y6 d. ^6 V# E> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ K% `* e) _" M2 [0 h% h4 C* G6 i> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 i1 T" ?) S. z' h( @7 J/ S6 ~- z> 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
) ^, E: w6 p9 j8 Q> 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
! L* O/ B. `. F; Y. S. Z+ r* Q, A5 L  o> 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.
. v7 r" z' ]& T' z4 S> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ M: N, Z6 t8 s> 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.
>
0 E& `0 Q* ~+ P# }- s> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ F1 V/ w4 {1 `4 H: J& I7 _9 _: }> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
7 \: Z( t  F) x, T# b3 ^- m> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. ]( d  u$ }1 T- `* Z) j$ x6 z> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
3 s* G7 d* N9 t  e3 Y>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# K1 c( [+ v+ }; ~) R- `& Y6 `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- O+ {$ O$ |' b: j9 F$ p" g> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 ^6 e# K3 l7 Q  `$ m> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 n& X: k) q, k) ^$ X$ c. W> 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,
8 G% _  @: K2 ?) C% X  M> 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
, {6 a" E! q1 N) d) w4 ~( Q  X> circled the bases toward home.
7 G! _# I0 w" h>
  i8 z5 O4 M7 ^; ?> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
! r9 u9 d7 I: `' U; C> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ i7 w1 n: r7 a) }! D, k> Shay, run to third!'
>
; W; u2 ~9 p4 x6 r  x6 _7 d> 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
' T# C, o5 G% y5 T7 w- f> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 R9 r) I1 Y" |' o0 ^% g2 s% C/ z> game for his team.
>
9 Y  c7 Q# r' V, g- ~> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% U9 b) c, G, ^0 O/ z+ v& x( g> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
# g" }7 Q5 G$ {5 f$ l  i1 _> into this world'.
>
) ]4 ~: x1 L$ d, I> 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
: A% i2 S8 `  E& [; K3 }! O' U% S# k> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
3 ]' h0 |' e1 j/ F8 t>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
8 }$ ?! V4 G1 k0 [( `+ G$ \& X> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
$ t& G: f" ]5 e> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
' X  X( Y! J" f( ]& p>
+ u+ s& ]5 `+ `- H+ F/ V> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 U6 V' G, d8 ~  y/ u$ U6 ^! R2 T# B> 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
% E: E$ Y1 X  Y- }( D> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
3 j5 a2 b. t5 X3 D! u8 n> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ Q& j* [6 g1 T; j, r/ s> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; o; ?/ M! ~, Q% L> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
, c; n4 Z' @; R3 o& E4 o( `> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 e* q. p! @4 s, |3 G> bit colder in the process?
>
' _* g" J, C2 o8 K, ~* s) o+ }> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
% @, X8 y) i9 V' W" h> You now have two choices:
# V7 e! y9 P1 [8 x. y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.