Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
> same choice?
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, A& ]1 y# s" a: e% p$ R$ t> 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
3 v- A' H2 B4 ~> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( Q, T$ D: U, S7 t$ g! z) W> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 ~& H5 H# A% R( H4 i& o0 g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> 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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8 ?4 ^/ n4 f; v, ^4 H) x1 S> 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
& o& H' w, w- z1 j- }> 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,
2 J( K* b4 o, |8 O9 T6 v> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 t  ^. ~3 V- K" n+ O4 I" ~> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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# e6 @9 U6 V2 ?> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* `0 S7 b5 H% ]6 S/ N> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; `2 v3 z3 ?; \: L> 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
7 j) [2 `, C- A5 O- x> 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
! G( z+ l3 C6 a# b# T' }3 _> 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
0 h8 I* P* D) p; [+ M' x> 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
9 O$ X6 h* f9 c0 c$ r6 R> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
! @2 W/ r. r/ w7 c4 `& ?; \1 u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) i7 b& z/ v& M4 C- s& L$ @& h, [5 |> next at bat.
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> 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
# n' v4 B- C, @$ s% M8 {> 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
5 n: M' y) y% ~/ u7 q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) _# T6 L( g3 E$ N5 f, h! O6 h> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 i/ s2 C! ^7 k; e9 N' T0 @! j/ ~0 e/ I> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
  U) [' R9 ^: H5 S1 `> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
7 U: F( f  p, C" n> 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.
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> 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,
0 S* _2 x! l0 U- ]> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 U  c3 v+ r9 K; z> 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
> 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
> 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
( s. L' x; z" Y1 O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ I* F+ B+ n* l, b$ ~1 w  ^) p5 e> circled the bases toward home.
>
- y, h6 }1 Z% L* S. x> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 q- C: D$ P8 p% ?7 l> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% b' |  u, e/ H' \& [: f- a> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
4 z* J5 l3 G$ x! O6 \8 _> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- X$ B. L/ @. h! l: ]3 h> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
; B4 p  }1 s( y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 p3 E4 [  N4 |2 O& y5 @> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
! `/ ?: S4 H+ C; T> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' m$ ?5 ?# J  F! g1 l6 |> 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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> 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
4 H4 z. l( R5 w> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' E' C' |' m, |" ^: a0 j0 z: f- w+ y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 {' g# b; O" {& b2 N$ @> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% Y' s) `: [' n: F9 L! g3 v> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# ^! C9 S# R6 c9 Z: C3 e+ _> 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
; T% b8 v; E* D( m# L> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) F  G$ s/ U) w. A! Q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
6 G, D, b* j9 X* P> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 H1 k9 k4 s! ?7 t> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. L9 p3 I- e( s4 v/ q, E+ L> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.