Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: k0 Q/ B! |' W- |3 J( K. l# P/ W> 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
- {& A, p) w8 {2 l3 U> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" _' m8 H( _! ]+ b- F# B> 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
> 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?'
>
- E7 ^/ p0 T  f6 o  k> The audience was stilled by the query.
4 K8 j; Q8 m9 D8 G3 U>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  L& m. I% @7 w+ [; S4 R> 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.'
6 \) F, F8 z" C& B* r% ]9 l" ?0 b& M>
7 e% j+ `7 _, P" @6 [( x> Then he told the following story:
8 l2 |8 l0 Q+ h6 @* J! e>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ m9 V9 u7 R- ^3 l  C> 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
8 T0 A, S2 p! C1 H7 g1 u> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% t' ^1 V3 z4 B% O5 Z1 E> 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
> 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
; @: ^1 h& d! Y5 b2 k2 ]> 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
> 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
, C3 e5 B4 Y/ K. g3 V! w" 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
> 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
) K; c4 w  f2 C9 o) Z> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
7 i) [+ K- o$ x! e; |- q& G( e! I> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ r# [, L$ X( `4 j+ |  O6 ^# @6 j> 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
- I+ F- P4 Q* o! h# o. a> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
3 h$ Q0 h/ E) O1 h0 P> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# W! [# D' ]& \2 [+ Q' W2 G) c> much less connect with the ball.
" B4 O* c- w. V> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
" ]9 \' D3 Q8 k" J# O' X# S- i> 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
7 D  S4 n0 T" ?$ X; p> 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
, I9 z4 P8 D1 |0 m, g6 L! }/ u> right back to the pitcher.
( |6 D2 {3 H- b>
> 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.
  ]4 q8 n% M9 n>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; E  Z+ |& }& k( d1 }> 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,
5 R1 H: I9 o/ q> 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
$ J# Z1 g% K; _7 H2 `5 G& N' q> 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,
. _$ S7 ^; q3 q> 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.
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, z9 x  I! F) j' ]$ b2 t. P0 h> 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
0 D! i( p" ~, X$ |1 m( v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
' X" r6 a0 ^' v8 Y% N. j  K>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 E4 i* X. x/ B' s) U( l  T> 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.
! x$ K; @4 k1 q6 l, l>
> '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
3 F) l# U$ M% n> into this world'.
+ a0 o+ N+ n1 B>
: D* x$ l% b3 z, |) r, P> 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
& m2 B5 |0 ^/ _. `9 N! K> 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
3 i  o1 w  p$ @; U: @* f) n> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% g, V, |" v) T( O> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. T" ]/ l3 y' w8 H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
4 L' @2 k7 @/ N& E# B# P>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, E0 o. [4 ^3 K6 c9 K6 K> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. X7 e( P+ \* j$ d( y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- b- L/ p  b8 t> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
- W% V6 s1 f/ x( O>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! c# G1 z$ a# O7 Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
1 u  ~' ?' O0 |$ Q. j> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.