Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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8 K3 Q) M6 f0 A$ ]+ i2 _  q> 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
: J" W' g5 E+ y& D& d  y, R> same choice?
>
$ Z. m/ w4 t7 G' l, Y6 ~6 O> 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
/ D  t7 D/ m/ _1 U/ o> 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
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
: J1 O6 `# l0 \& d> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( u* B5 \( A3 A> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 H" o9 \& q- m+ ]6 V: `6 n8 k" A3 E> 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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, G% }9 o: C, M1 B$ [> Then he told the following story:
>
" }* P  B8 U# Y: Q2 K4 B> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: E. Q7 h& Y7 p$ `> 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
" `) o( e7 O& m" s- y7 @> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' k+ v- {" f- P8 q( y> 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
0 T# r6 l7 i3 p( r& K9 b> 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
# h. x3 @+ g9 H" M# s: g8 i: r3 V7 C> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
$ U# Z& k! G9 Z; C> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
0 w$ @) o+ A& U4 J> 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
  H. [! X5 V+ |> 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
- \7 e' {; \  H, o1 z4 V% v7 {0 [> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% _5 {! |" K3 B! e& N( I5 w> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
: a0 l& e" ^' i& Z> next at bat.
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' G- _1 y7 I  w$ S9 l. N> 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
- S5 r: A4 y0 r& W) i' S> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
' Q. p1 N# B/ ^> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; _. w8 C& O. P4 C> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( f: v3 l* {. G> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
0 ^9 i! w/ K: h( J# B6 u> 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
- v) H1 X6 o8 E> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
> 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
- V7 Y9 U1 o* X" ~$ G1 A3 s> 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.
>
5 n6 \, e; x$ b. d2 C> 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
+ ?7 _1 d1 z- i; V5 p; y: g  p# P$ z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 j6 _/ }# P$ m; P7 m5 o% \* S> 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,
$ B3 [* F" b' @1 s2 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
3 R+ G& W, F1 g6 {2 r/ s: O> circled the bases toward home.
>
9 p8 f* }$ D; d7 _5 L8 a> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 @( \* r" Z6 ?8 k& W> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: }7 i+ H) e# n7 Q& E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( d' z& G4 d' K! ^6 W- c/ I> Shay, run to third!'
>
% B% D  b. M: H7 M> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" {" ], K' I- H" u( g. t9 ~9 `> 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
4 B" N- s6 o2 L> game for his team.
>
3 s. ]; l' L1 Y  i! Q3 }# {> '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
> into this world'.
>
5 [% i: F9 `/ x> 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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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# U) _% J. \. o# y" [/ w( g. x9 \- ]" I> 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
" b- v3 g% x/ j0 i) a8 o" o, r0 s> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! W( }8 _/ z$ m# B2 i> 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
4 y6 \5 r* {! B% U+ N3 V6 k+ {> 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
% D' d4 ]  E; f9 `> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
% h- h7 P- a4 @& z- M7 W> bit colder in the process?
>
' Q( ~# f; v& S' \" T9 P> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 h4 q0 \3 R/ y, f5 Q$ X> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
( h! }: O4 D# @1 \> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.