Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ I- p, F0 R6 p: L> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ M" O9 ~" x2 v> same choice?
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5 B, d6 E4 V$ W0 {& [> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 w4 X2 H9 A: R4 k> 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
2 V1 Z8 e: a$ a( M  w. J> staff, he offered a question:
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8 J# [8 [8 b5 \8 `  f. N> '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
- _( x6 O  b0 O& w/ s> natural order of things in my son?'
>
1 ~" w0 w9 G$ x- k% \7 |6 A> The audience was stilled by the query.
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- s; ^: `' ~" n2 Z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* u7 m9 Q; L& P' P; i: ~! ^" L> 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:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ g; @6 Z+ ?2 [& y/ G> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 L8 \* i" T. Y& D* n) {> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
3 w* v* }  P2 {3 g" ^- V2 ?> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% s6 n+ d- U1 k& T> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
* ]( V; H% m1 u7 f+ I% y0 u> 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
; o  T8 X6 g( E' u, m0 i# x8 B2 }> 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
0 M6 w" p. T2 o+ Q2 J& B9 X3 ?2 m> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
' c% i" C" {$ n2 P: y> 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
. i' t6 [& U( d( B+ ]2 d) v+ j> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; }; U) u" s6 `! d# M$ U> 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,
) L5 Z# v: f, r6 D1 L9 y> much less connect with the ball.
9 o) p& T: `& f. Z/ [. @8 _> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
. G  N% g( j: C0 N> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# G5 Z! O6 m4 p* |) V> 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
6 |# f/ |/ k3 ?% {! h> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
  R) F: L0 A' b, A$ M; B> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' r3 a# s2 J6 F" `9 j$ _  t. V> right back to the pitcher.
>
4 h1 |  y6 }! u1 ^  a> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! M" Y5 P1 c; _. x6 E) ~> 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.
>
> 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
6 F+ Z& P7 ?; H$ t3 T8 B; c# ^> 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,
9 u5 W3 `; g8 M, T1 D3 X> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- {# Z+ f) e/ S. e. ~) c> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
* n1 r1 B0 E5 C7 A+ b( u> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
- W* [2 w/ n1 X1 X4 W; Y( ?> 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,
1 c5 @9 Z% `( E$ R> 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.
>
1 o; O) s2 X7 S7 c6 u  H- w> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
& z- R1 H0 n- ?7 d8 l> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# C# p6 V' z9 u4 i& U2 H> 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
> 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 ^: q8 `) N( L6 B> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
  K- P) c. T1 [: T; V- L> 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!
>
" b& q; A' Y4 T5 _8 w+ N> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
' b/ l3 y+ Z  \8 v. [$ z> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) n: U, v: F- C' i( ?( x> 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.
>
; c6 o) k! Z" r7 E& {* m> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: V! T3 L- L( V$ w; X& D+ \  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
3 }# ~/ ], H8 C! X* M5 H* N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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9 I' V8 U: H. Z6 {- p. v. ?# U> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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4 D1 E" v  e' ~3 y> You now have two choices:
* r5 U8 G8 d5 T! W7 ?2 H> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.