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
3 V$ j: x9 |. O> same choice?
>
. g" I6 O$ m9 x; ~> 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:
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: d/ ]4 C# G! c: U7 H> '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
8 b3 P- p+ p$ A' d> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 o. I" P, O! ]5 q> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 n5 G4 O3 R2 X; q+ ~; E& ^> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ ?1 Q! _, d7 C: |> 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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+ M' r, x+ i9 w> 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
, ?2 \  }  F$ K# }, A> 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,
3 W) P4 u( C6 Q> 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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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ R+ h4 Y, x- P, K> 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
( v8 j# Y- s+ X8 C* T> 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
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
' v# q0 J3 u5 z( P" n' e7 ]> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
4 U. e0 \: h* a7 i6 L. Q0 M> 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
9 W! W$ W" {. n6 y  N/ L$ ]> 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
. y5 x) z0 d  q3 [> 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
( Q8 E1 W* q5 z% J- W5 ~3 i> 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
! H6 L& V, g& W/ l> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( I$ @% B) @0 S> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ X. k( }$ ~( v. ?/ [3 k  a% C5 Z> 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
! ~1 \- b4 B: |" c" l> 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.
' d. M; L+ g# H2 u/ O: f, l; r> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
# w& w# J' r, w6 d4 ~> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
* T" h& H  o# s; n5 J" ]  S> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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" U! [& z3 r  P, P  c1 Y6 Y! M> 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.
>
  e/ @/ b' m0 L- }- q. `> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 A! j7 l+ h5 A8 B" N& d> 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
. K7 t$ m9 |" a7 \2 E7 O' `> 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,
0 p9 \1 |7 @: N6 {( l8 V% Q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 M8 ]0 i: r0 W5 m7 T: M, |7 G$ y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ L7 c7 @6 n- t; C> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" h$ N8 X7 f& F4 I/ ]9 V> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 c7 h' e. z2 v# l( L> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
, b, r8 [" ~" F' ]! Q> Shay, run to third!'
>
# M# w2 T6 Q" b: Q> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
' z9 }; V) d' k1 }  Q>
, C: c" V/ N! x+ g0 Q& V- Y> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# }/ W, @  I# ]8 q' S> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
) Q. g9 s/ ?% ]* R. V- M> 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!
5 B" ~  @# N& M7 u  ?>
) ~9 X1 z' M4 b) ?5 l3 _> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 A% P% R  N1 d8 j/ n; r" M> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
" R8 J8 U& _0 U/ a' r> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ M$ w( V. s; D3 \0 }- L# O4 h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
2 Z% [; |8 q% j) o>
> 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
2 s9 O) h+ G. u: c& N> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ s8 e, E7 X$ m" J' l# q+ t> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
: V7 C( v8 z5 Z. j& b+ `2 ^- U> 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?
0 n" x2 N; }. n& ~2 H>
- J/ g& u. g6 G  H> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 `) C+ D# S9 S, @5 D$ V3 P( N! `> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
) ?& C: G. ?  j# Y0 n- H3 i  g& |# H8 F> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.