Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
$ }8 t5 j. g1 B$ ?; v> 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
" [3 `  n6 I0 ?" I% B> same choice?
* p" W, f! \8 }- [>
# Z0 Z. r% o1 {+ h> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) W3 F8 j' K6 w: ?5 m> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. o4 k  g0 e2 ^. H> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
1 T) i. m+ \1 ~- e> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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( v1 {1 ~# D8 x+ X: J  R# f> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) w9 p8 f- a; o' V> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. I. @0 q( x1 w- Y5 c> 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
' G- Y+ k- d% W* o> 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,
% d6 p6 G: y; P/ B5 w> 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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) M5 C7 h6 G' l1 w& h: n> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( d6 p+ {$ w; q# d> 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
: V. L% {+ a; B" _( e+ J> inning.'
0 V1 _" P# D2 E  H- E9 s5 r>
> 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
5 m: U1 l0 y# ^, n8 X' A& ?> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ M# B& n3 U$ L8 P$ F> 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
& v6 f( j' J; M4 h8 x8 M9 U> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
; t  H% c- F* x* j3 E+ Y) y> 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
% W6 r' j4 Z& d( ~5 W> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> 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
* K' i/ O8 i2 f/ W1 [5 |- l> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 t, f% E# @; \0 e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
- u' a0 C5 L  J8 `. Q+ _9 W6 Z" ~> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 g# N0 ^0 s0 \# f> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
6 F- a; b; k, g  r" n! c; H>
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 Y2 s+ e! L. Z8 }# [> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 p+ Q' E& k$ g$ N: z2 {9 A  Z; Y$ Q8 Q# h> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
3 G- ?: P# e, r  J> 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
; V/ ~# N1 v" I> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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% F- F+ w1 d! @7 [2 ~8 ^4 x> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
+ j9 G" J& P- X/ ^>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% m9 z2 K. J& |; x* y, g* `* R> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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5 I7 K6 @" m0 L( M$ I> 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
6 D+ d8 u9 Y% _6 Z2 t$ S9 y0 I> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
$ j/ L. s* S* V5 K> '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
6 X4 a8 t) ?9 Q( Y0 S> 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
/ R$ i8 K; B; Q# D7 s> 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
> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ J8 v7 [5 c, _5 _3 O. v> 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
# p: W0 y! M; }; w6 M> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. A' D' w2 r$ j, h4 k> 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?
9 B) D; @& R' ^5 h; }>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 ^* D% D$ {  j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
  ]' e2 \4 W2 ]* |8 B  L. k' l> You now have two choices:
, V. [8 t, ?' w- ]/ v9 n: Y+ \> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
, q! C8 o- _4 C# V% ?( U/ r( G> May your day, be a Shay Day.