Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
8 f; Y& a+ c. c! j, b. P" N> same choice?
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> 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
' |- V9 i. B, S- D- u1 A, t> staff, he offered a question:
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% t( y5 |5 m' s0 K> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! M% o) f9 L6 ~# F) ~. D> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
, w( ~$ K$ g/ o; v2 I> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 J1 s# A8 R' q1 _6 A4 I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# M  N% O- y3 P" F, ?, H: a> treat that child.'
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0 w& F  D) [2 u7 W) m7 I6 A> 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
  r3 Y! [- O1 P8 S% G2 m8 x1 Y> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
* X' `6 }/ m( y$ N' {) g! b> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) G& Z7 _) M% A> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
( Z. `# ]. M, Z> 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.'
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> 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
6 F1 _7 K0 B  g, R> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" |1 [- X" Y3 ^> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
/ n  {  {# N+ I5 g( s- j> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 c% k. J& t0 h; d) a2 X1 C& f> 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
- }# `" e8 x8 p$ K# v> next at bat.
>
' }: w; B$ m' _4 x1 d( w> 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,
* `& C  L! M6 A7 ~> 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
7 P1 ~" _5 L" N+ D7 F. c> 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.
6 G2 C! c8 u: E* K) o> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
# |3 G6 R- H+ I! f7 |$ r0 d> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# U- n7 Y" ?3 x1 b, K% [% C* o) l> 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.
>
/ d$ k3 ]4 a3 v) L> 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
* y. `/ t7 Q; |1 J; S4 o> 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
" G0 r9 q  N' {8 O. l> 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
, j, R6 j8 E2 R1 Y! L( p. `' X> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ n0 O  \. V& }4 }: v. e9 j) e> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 Y0 z$ J% _: a8 @& B2 C' \> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
2 ^1 y. a1 N0 }  H- t) n9 g! p> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
" {/ j7 x  R, ?4 N0 _8 Y7 F> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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!'
>
6 v' h0 u" s, }; V* D> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
9 O( ?# s0 p# ]% B, Z# G  U' e1 I> 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
  ^% t6 v- m: q> 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
* E" b$ _2 R9 `: V8 h> into this world'.
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> 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!
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& d% k  Y# T+ 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
/ ^1 }$ X! B* O$ Y" ~8 i; J> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 h  m$ a/ a- f- u7 T9 Q> 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
9 c1 K( @1 E. f# j2 ]> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 E+ R- M& A: v9 J& D> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 [' O6 H! G0 R, [/ u" ~9 L0 ]> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 P; w- Y: }+ ?7 i0 i2 @> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
5 P$ q. M( G) f% a/ {> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 C- \$ ~, X2 W' m3 F6 h> bit colder in the process?
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1 G4 Y+ q$ z# R3 W. K( X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 ?$ G1 d1 C3 X1 l( G" E# T" [" V> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
# d& }) D5 ?. F/ B> 1. Delete
( Z6 h) D+ S3 |0 p> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.