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
> same choice?
>
> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 b6 c5 ?/ y0 h  i> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' v) `4 [# I. t. e+ L> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 Y. g/ N) l9 l2 q; P. `: E: F> 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.
>
6 b& l0 c) _0 a> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
& x# k& `9 n; o6 {& o- O> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 x! ~! V3 j2 L3 f4 w3 W+ H# |: x* ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! h, _! ^+ H8 r> 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
' J7 F- ?( I2 _$ ]> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ s: I% ?- T' Q; V> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
) D6 m" N3 g% }4 m8 J>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 }6 S7 x& C: `& u6 `- D' S( O> 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.'
( B# i1 R. a3 N0 T, Q' k>
: E1 T+ B7 O2 X6 U) x& z, _) D> 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
' j' b9 j) r0 M( I, Y3 ^> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> 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
+ [3 V* Z+ M+ {3 q- s/ W> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, w0 O: f/ m1 O+ V+ `" h  Q; Y& A# k> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
$ K7 l, z' e" ~, L> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( E  r' m3 m- U+ ~+ R7 R) Q> 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
) X# m1 Z7 s$ x9 x/ C# _0 x> 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
- o" ~3 r" \2 O& m6 s  i  }0 z0 Y> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
1 I! T/ j& ]8 a: Q5 t: K>
> 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.
- `) r& e9 g4 M4 Y, y* ?- g4 @! k>
> 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
! i, r1 _, N3 H$ P1 m  }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
0 Y( A8 B, H' y# W/ \$ r3 a1 l: Y> wide-eyed and startled.
8 }- ?$ F- j3 ^, U+ O* K( i>
0 O' m( u) j6 E: O& {> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 b( {$ O9 E7 K0 H. I, W8 Z: q: J> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
/ r( M9 b$ \0 N>
, k4 B, E! y; }5 S9 }> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 r8 X1 P9 R2 `' A7 }> 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.
>
> '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
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
& J" i) t) }- e" D7 U7 _1 M>
> 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
6 q6 P6 ?0 J9 r- x; c> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  Q! K  R( Q" D1 [& D" e> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: I% K3 c; f7 n) p+ t, g>
> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' K7 v. e  B" P> 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
& Z. f. o4 v6 Y. v> 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?
>
6 n* ?2 D2 w) q+ q+ S2 k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
; R1 j" ^, M2 I; D>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# _5 a( j7 Z  L; Y> 2. Forward
# e& g3 p' y" n( w/ F7 e>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.