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
# g5 W- z$ K! f> same choice?
>
3 i% }; P* N2 ~8 P> 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:
& t  S5 s2 Z0 E>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 B, l- y" j. e# Q> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 [' ?, A3 B' f" \> 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.
2 V- P! L3 @. i>
> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 W( g) h; V+ @: Q3 U% W; X> 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
+ ~! e1 p- @4 |1 \# p. J> 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
0 l5 P5 w! I; X0 q1 `0 F> 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
  `+ ?3 g# L, ?9 P) I9 Y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
% V1 R; [" j+ @& h  I4 j> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
, N, F4 v% J# M2 \( m3 @1 H> 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
! |5 c: ?& B1 x2 d- I, b> 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
. Y# u. Z1 d+ J( Y; y' Y/ [/ J% 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
4 X8 D7 S+ r- g# q6 y2 Z, A' {% v> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( R- X6 @# p* [% h, q* t7 |" ]> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% w- {# T7 G. v' j: l4 V> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
- n2 t6 k. Z8 H9 G' X> 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
, }) K# Y( W  ?0 S$ Y* ^> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
, G3 T$ C; y1 X" B% J& l> much less connect with the ball.
4 j! d' L9 j$ b> 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
& m: x. y4 ~$ J6 ?; r> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* V. E1 j  \* ?7 ~3 i; Z) ~9 q> 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- a' f: t! i0 S/ W* K. _% |8 H% o1 E> 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.
>
, \6 q, N  h6 f9 u1 f> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, {3 v0 o! F: t. o, q* {1 F# K> 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
$ p5 S4 y1 r1 I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
3 I2 z: n! }9 k! m$ R; E> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' t0 Q3 X0 G6 s> 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
( t8 ]% k# H/ E: N% w" C. Q8 d> 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,
- C* O& k$ d% D0 B& E> 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.
>
& G$ c! P: a  g" e7 ]7 N6 U' f> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- C  Z' R# \" f> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
4 E$ }& F' t$ ]> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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,
6 ]' l5 w: Q) L- v  {, Q> '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
$ m0 E7 {/ y% H/ M! D' l$ A> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& T( i& f" e# m9 i! W> 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
. m' i( w, N7 T: z( v- j> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 Y5 f& G6 t1 T% \4 g0 _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 v2 u$ i7 i& k, d4 e> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
2 z( y$ ?. _* L* |" \7 m1 N, J0 @> 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
' N  R. r$ ?8 N: T2 E. F: A5 T> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
" d/ w4 ^, ~, L7 m> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) R8 P: b% J/ y+ w$ X> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
, S3 q; ], M; q& f' c> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 x3 a3 w* E% U( g8 C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
7 D' W% x4 {/ ~/ n  S>
- Y3 J; _* J* r; k> You now have two choices:
1 d6 }, q0 j8 l6 Q+ ^> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.