Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 u# N% Q* l* M3 a4 S. w, C1 V> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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) _; u) P( V5 l# ?1 ?> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! ^2 f0 |# a1 n> 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
1 T: e; {1 H* s' A9 }5 a, e> 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 H. N+ e9 H& W" ~; j: `> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
7 g" [3 n7 ~" G6 o; @: b6 l' y> treat that child.'
>
! N  I0 u/ A: U' ]# q1 Q* z0 f> 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
) b. z5 r( l3 a/ i0 J> 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,
9 C* g9 ]  x9 P4 Y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
6 j" N8 X" ^5 s- {  K9 y2 L> 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
  v9 l# _/ a4 f; p# y0 S9 U7 p* s> 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
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
( k( y/ q: J9 T5 G" Z> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 C; o9 ]( L  C2 f, D5 S> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
) s9 s% q, P5 s* n" n) ~> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. n! Z2 z* c5 k- g> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
$ @0 [+ R6 c* ?& R: Z3 u- ]5 C( }> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 j: M" E# n9 G+ A9 z> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
: C# d) R) D4 u8 r8 Y, B3 |> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
7 X1 x2 }3 E) |. y- ]> 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.
) Y5 p2 a9 U7 k# k) S- N0 h$ E9 e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" o3 g0 M  @4 ~; T> right back to the pitcher.
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" W( G$ K3 Y5 T& C9 j2 ~> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. `: o0 }  D9 m0 f# r1 N> 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.
>
> 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
9 W- r- V: D: q8 Z8 S> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
, t. _" ^# B3 |. Y5 k3 ], d" u> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" Z7 i5 d6 C- T! @) S> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! H4 H7 A2 {! h- x( }/ {> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
9 @  O5 S# c( B2 ]6 ]! J> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 c$ y: E! ?1 n0 W  d- _/ a  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.
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5 |# l9 f0 q  z  Z3 u( ^9 B> '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
( o0 ~7 Y$ Y  D: N7 b! i> into this world'.
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8 V4 V& X( l( t6 h> 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
( C+ M9 Z; O& ]3 W0 k1 G> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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- G2 N- A: `7 |0 t, {3 D+ L> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
3 P( z; J* Q, c* L> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 r& i( {7 [0 f" j1 |9 R> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
# ~; n" M' l3 C4 }, o( X>
> 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
6 U  {( B5 b3 S' M. c" y> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& {4 W2 u  O# W# A2 s1 X> 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?
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$ L. V  w3 x+ r) n0 I: r> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
) W! Y* E0 \8 b$ J3 k* ^; y% P> You now have two choices:
3 O2 L) `, a& }$ L; ~: I4 T# E> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.