Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( n* X& C1 z+ b. q$ S5 z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) m0 G. Z0 J& O$ g> same choice?
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2 v- N) M% p: J5 ?5 Y6 ]- }$ t> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
! e+ _" v( o& Q> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
: V* j$ r& q( y- [9 |* R' [> 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
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 I5 j3 ?3 F6 O> 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.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, T9 T7 j6 ~2 ^; F  }! P+ u, 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
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
0 |, |: u) v9 ^> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 E/ C( R+ i8 S3 ^" U  ]; A> 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
# b& q6 b; J, @> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
& o$ D, \$ q$ Z* \) @5 z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
7 l& e& s% G& F0 K9 I> 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
+ t2 ^" I. U" g. u( G" Y> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 ~- x1 |  m9 m7 y$ r" K> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
: o- g, h9 j2 \# [# x' }  T> 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
( m1 l  e& L5 e" S) Z> 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
, ]" O9 M' P3 O> 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
: {6 G& ^; v+ @/ I- p> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% q  s+ L7 q6 F3 h+ \( m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 l, L  a6 e) \1 |> next at bat.
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> 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,
3 _) X. u+ H1 p4 P' X> 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
7 q, ?4 M8 L) ?& Z1 s> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  i( h+ N+ _* ?5 f1 h% 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
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> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# i- l4 B4 [% f9 L0 _* O3 T> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- ?* Y& G. {8 r2 G6 i> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 _) Q+ J- `* l3 R: B: L  y> 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,
8 \& `3 D% T* n- l1 }> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- e! m0 H. @& R; r) v% g0 N7 c* o> 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'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
5 |, T9 I* w* d  x" Q6 M> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 Y$ y! h0 C" M9 y: C2 l. E, j0 j> Shay, run to third!'
% ]. b$ y0 q8 J8 @6 N. H" p>
' v; [0 v# L6 p- ^> 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.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
9 }' e$ c1 H$ x> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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1 Q" \1 v) L5 n& O" Y> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ O( k: _( Z4 i' ]6 x> 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
8 P2 |# o3 t. I6 y0 m4 ]6 b% q6 R> 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
) D$ x6 @5 F% d( d> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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8 s1 c+ f! q; z! }0 K8 H1 _  X> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 G: H+ P9 x$ j8 z1 J- U1 L> 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
: p) n0 B$ {% B3 V" O> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
' k" F5 s& n# k1 q8 I% v> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 \1 r. ]  a! t0 G3 K% m# {% I> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
6 N7 B$ d: Y/ O' R9 c> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
3 T( H* K1 Y) J/ Y0 `7 X> 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:
5 b8 ?6 @5 ]  r/ O/ e/ o> 1. Delete
, {' ?' A- p+ F% W+ n> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.