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
  x7 C6 d6 l4 a; [; j> 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
9 _/ @: ~4 ?' V5 I> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  M/ K  p  k6 O) q9 a> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- _* Y. }8 l1 q' g: I> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
7 a* T/ ?5 A+ y  H( n  |& ?: F> 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
5 A: r7 A, u6 b; G> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
  ]( b# P) q4 o/ M- `* g> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 S! G; I, t+ d8 M+ p> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
+ N! w2 a6 P! z7 u# k; w; b> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 f  h/ S2 h; N> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# O9 }! v0 w9 F) t> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) ~: C: @- t5 K> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, ?1 J7 K3 U- h  r# n# e# z3 s> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ f! d" Z* o" S4 |- Q> 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
  `& O% R( c" j7 q0 t* [( R> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
# ?) a: H+ u+ _. a> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
. f5 v5 d9 `( U6 ?' K> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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$ ^: u( O; {0 a8 l4 o> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
1 G9 O+ o# @7 D: }3 g. {> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
4 L5 Z. ?2 O* E5 t  i> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
% B5 x% H9 ?! h' d% m, b> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
4 K* {$ q3 ~9 q0 H1 S  r> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
0 l2 _, M  M) ?: `6 F+ F2 K> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& M- e. c2 e8 G, U6 V2 z9 G5 q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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/ |- V+ _- w& R; ?+ _7 [" T/ V> 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
0 }) G6 `$ d! p2 m" [5 [. F> 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,
. p5 r8 k9 [& l& [> 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
* u" ]2 e; A; L% J> circled the bases toward home.
>
2 j2 K# ?: X0 N> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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/ t; X6 }& g; ^) R6 H( @> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 T8 V; l& l7 o5 p> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
. W5 K  w1 C, z' g8 m# E> Shay, run to third!'
>
, G9 \  L) q8 D7 Q> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; R) c2 N2 y; R; D' S8 X+ l. M8 }> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ M3 K" P: z' i2 T> 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,
; b3 w7 p& l# z& t& `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 }5 V. S+ L$ p> 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
! @/ m6 u  f# T/ ]1 J- h> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; ?0 n; n5 S* c. {8 _> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' w0 T3 g9 @$ D& U# }. B> 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
) W3 Y; ^6 d+ v- f% ]> 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
, _! t" c0 Z( M0 r2 k> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
- j9 G7 v1 v/ m4 t8 X> 1. Delete
0 L8 S' T$ b% h+ P: |  a% p) [3 _  U, L> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.