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?
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: i& V4 h7 l5 x, r> 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
# E! w' N3 g4 d  _' |# C> 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
# M/ X$ [6 @' v, p- q+ d( Y> 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.
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( `. ?3 F" ~: {& q> 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
) K) }6 k" \  P2 L, \> treat that child.'
>
> 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
> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 R* h( c, k" a1 W! C1 m+ X$ J> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
; E: @& r9 B% k. H6 b> 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
> 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
; x  @8 G) e8 }7 l7 N  R' I> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
7 R# ^5 P, X/ o: l2 K4 [& L. j> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 L5 H+ e+ x, o( I# z, G1 ]) m) ?> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 ]. n. S9 {* ~# ]* W0 Y& p> 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
! {( ~3 n: A( |+ c* L; g, j> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, v: s1 w) {5 m7 c> 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
8 \  O: N1 d1 e9 V$ {8 r& S7 ]> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
% e. M3 Z8 A& ^: ~4 s" }1 K> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
& @+ q- Y$ z9 l: h- ~- a; h> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
0 {( x' }* Z0 u# }> 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
# {4 G, J1 K- m* J9 Q) h7 K& @> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
. F5 M) F9 G- s# ]" o- A) @6 F> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 {) L, ~$ g- Y! W2 b! S( K> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: z& [% v  ]$ u0 T+ }" Q' {> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- r+ }. E- x  t, g> 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.
" t+ C6 K! B3 K5 E7 }> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* s+ J! H: D0 E! a2 t" g6 ^% A: j> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! b0 p" n  Y& w% B> 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
( S' Z, @) P. D- z> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, \0 q" n& z! n% X> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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  v; J/ H5 W/ y  c* G6 a6 h0 L9 [> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!'
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! L: i, U' l: @- T+ h$ t> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; M) i0 ^3 M: J; D  E6 u> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
" ^% O# Q- z" \7 U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: _/ l0 Y8 E6 K" t$ H6 E& I) j7 J  y> game for his team.
>
% O9 H$ S* d& ]/ G4 ?, m> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ }" R* [5 d8 D' j+ z0 s1 o> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
, E0 \( }2 I7 t4 B% _9 `/ v! O5 b> into this world'.
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' P( |8 `6 K# L& V' e- H* E> 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!
>
> 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
2 w) E$ f" _2 I8 n> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' g. d# N, S% O  O8 m> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; @, K3 X" ~; K: t- |8 i8 t; n9 y: v+ s> 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
8 V$ l0 l( I4 S2 G3 P; R2 L0 w7 T> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
+ G+ q* T8 t- m% ?: ^- |+ j- d> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
5 N* g% F$ }* F> bit colder in the process?
>
& U5 }; d# d% R' x" N: M> 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:
> 1. Delete
% G& K, g  Q2 c5 G> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.