Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
7 q/ f: Y3 _6 V0 L. M# L; R, o3 _) m> same choice?
>
2 a2 O& m8 W, ^  r( Q4 _> 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:
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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
> 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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+ O4 B; c" d: O- h7 A> 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
> treat that child.'
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" m# _' F7 ]5 x0 y$ z2 H& ~7 _> Then he told the following story:
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  F' p" Q4 C0 z3 I6 A> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% t0 }1 o* S3 }8 A> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% m; A  F- G( 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 `8 A& F* X6 N, v. T> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: L9 J( G6 }- q" K" Q& Y: l> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& {) \1 N! d: P1 c' Y. [> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 P  _# z8 A5 ]( z1 P" M8 @> 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
. ~  f) C9 `  Q* A> 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
> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 q2 v  x7 J) P1 h0 X> 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
. Q# ^. \& g- {6 |( M6 @> next at bat.
>
, N" R8 R% h- I* 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
+ U) ^' m8 v+ ]> 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
9 X  {$ ^: q0 B% G> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* S- T* M9 P( h0 A2 k> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' }2 h3 j+ J8 A9 B> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 _" C7 e, b& Y6 ?> right back to the pitcher.
>
, i' u& K% _" z  g1 E3 e> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# m* E' L( \+ n> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 u9 K: P, f& O3 ]' ?3 f> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
4 K2 Q8 `- q( x8 `2 c$ ?% S0 Q> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! d1 \; N& t$ f2 h5 N0 v> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ O! U3 g9 u  Y" J> 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
) o/ n( b. e3 p- ]0 X> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 _$ y. a) h5 w- c* ^0 w> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
  [7 @; H: u% f* W> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
( W5 r- V: v% ~& h/ }% \3 m> 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,
. l. l4 D3 a) i> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
5 L& L% u. V4 }6 Y3 B( [> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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
! ~3 W  W5 x: [" q6 R- E% B( c$ R> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
; N8 [+ b/ K( v> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- u& J0 s$ @5 m+ `5 P0 O5 q> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
" c  c$ i, [+ o# @" ^2 E6 B> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ M6 |' P1 ~6 r5 x; f0 m5 D7 p> game for his team.
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5 c) Z( ~1 m5 ~2 T8 a2 `> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 S/ b/ A  O) o# R" ?, L( S> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ m" Q+ ~! m1 L7 h: v. L$ y> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
# B7 V* q4 N3 d6 t$ ?8 @- h> 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
# N2 _; E0 {4 j0 x+ k" s7 ^1 k1 U> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 c# F" `! \& A! O1 e0 |> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 h6 @; I/ i8 T1 d5 W/ Y> 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
' w9 ]" h' E. y% v> 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
> 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
* _2 c8 w$ o; N( e) @. B> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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8 m* a% M, G1 y/ t. Y; ~" [) i> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
+ N# l+ x3 |0 E- A( r> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.