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
7 T, r4 h2 C9 U% m  E4 d> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. Y4 W; M+ T$ n1 i> 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
. j% O5 W* q9 s+ a8 Q4 U+ ^> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; T" T; e0 ?# X8 H9 l9 }> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 I! k" {, {* f5 Q; ^8 H, p> 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.
>
! [. J9 ?$ n" G7 v* R! g> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 G# N, x2 C0 i( J. `# b' R> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! t2 f  V1 ]; w8 c, u4 \) x( Y+ v> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ v) b5 P7 O$ [9 M# f2 i9 F) d> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
' t4 S' w: C% \& k> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
/ j' t$ B8 r% k: u' j> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ i! I4 |* g9 J0 ?# n> 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
: B! H5 R+ \7 Y9 ^( |> 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
: r5 H0 s6 U2 b& ^7 p> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
9 H0 ~) d4 J$ f( F> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
1 s2 d; g9 P! d7 [) r$ p3 D> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
& z( E* H' S4 E- V- f, x> 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
; Y, o! ?3 E( n' b> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
9 `, H, n+ |. [+ s* Q8 o  j4 m+ U> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' W7 M7 M3 M6 o: I! A1 q" L& l7 P> 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,
& ^% r6 d7 S# W/ B3 [+ L$ I' S> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ i7 z, o7 L2 M( v& Z' P( f5 D! S> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
  w+ A# ^' M$ k> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" ~/ ]- A4 y' r1 M5 q1 y% R9 H> right back to the pitcher.
>
! b9 L6 C/ {. }% e+ B> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) K. S# U3 [# L; l! o> 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
7 o# u( l* D( X  l6 _! x3 L  k' a> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
" P8 p7 D+ Y. \> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& s7 h1 |9 n! G2 q1 i$ D  ~, B& T/ i> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 _3 a) b, E- G: k4 H: Z7 x4 x> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
, e  Q3 D: G5 d> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 C- Z, V3 f7 w7 f3 G1 e! D' G> 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
" w& ]$ e& N( _: [> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ B# e' s; R1 D! o* A( k> circled the bases toward home.
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9 w: F! n5 l# z9 r) p- h) z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
/ ~5 {* E/ L" j% s9 J> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( b( S% o1 B5 e> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
) _3 V* i* o- E8 Z% N> 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
& R+ v! L! Y5 H  J: c' ^4 y> 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!
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. a3 A7 A7 ?* G% [> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" S! U8 T" |+ x> 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
7 E. {# a9 E0 Y3 |. \6 m1 n$ t8 o> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% H5 o8 T+ O* y7 g$ }- ?* Z. G# L> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> 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
% I3 j' _" g4 q/ N> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
* j9 Q# n' I1 A1 ~( S( y> 1. Delete
0 t  O; F8 W' z> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.