Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
5 w8 b8 x2 ?3 c$ u> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 Q9 E& c, N. Y5 s5 e& k> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
8 K$ q) B% H. [7 L> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
3 S/ h# z- |& c> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% ^  ?6 Q6 _# L  L  S: i> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
. T; r: e6 c2 i5 P> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
. }4 N. |& l) S> 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
> 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
4 r/ K  F. j2 ^, _8 O9 E+ a> 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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: u- k( B" X" l/ P# _> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% S  y; Z; i# u> 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
2 z) m) [3 ^0 j: X> 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
4 P, a, e& x& A) f! L2 L> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, _  `* H9 S3 [3 @> 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
> 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
> next at bat.
>
> 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,
. C6 B1 E& Q$ i> much less connect with the ball.
0 b& J& P1 v( T$ k> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 y; v6 C8 G/ r> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" ^6 Q+ w. v4 t  c> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
' j+ t4 L0 W4 ~6 c. H> 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.
- |! ^) n, g' X) s( n> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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0 v% k. @$ _2 E> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! ?, _$ R0 \9 x8 H0 k2 Y/ X7 E> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 r; }& ~( H7 d+ }> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
0 p1 P1 L8 y7 i/ `0 o8 Q8 F$ {> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! F" x% S' F1 G! A# e* ~6 t> 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,
- p# k' f% l; M7 h> wide-eyed and startled.
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" y5 {# l( e/ W  c6 S  V7 @& ~> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 l; v8 B' E5 @9 e: r1 k5 a; i> 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,
/ W! x. x( F- x6 g: n& B> 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.
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' b% e9 O( ~6 ?  Y7 ]> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% A% |  I4 q* e+ c" Y/ _; J( V# Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
7 f! D% q- z5 q+ f4 N* V2 N* h> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" O! z9 @4 Z9 y( x> 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.
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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
0 s, b& v' x; h% u' K> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% h! M& V: e7 k! p( }$ y> 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
% n+ P3 b' d. l/ z/ s, @> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# U! F) b/ ?/ K4 {  ^. k> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 p* ~3 {9 Y8 x% j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
3 P* j- F( ^# E% N> '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
0 K! m5 a) o$ ^9 E( g1 ]4 J> 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
2 ]4 y9 c, d# ?5 o: R4 B! }! j: G> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
& v- T: T  U5 k: o' m2 P! A0 q# T> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" K$ g* c& a# o) }% ?- j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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2 Y; n$ {  b9 |0 S1 R5 f1 T* r> You now have two choices:
; I  o' ?1 }# E> 1. Delete
5 S. B: B# \! h2 ~* R> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.