Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
) u9 r/ y' z8 |1 K' l3 w# r* R2 l> 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
0 K, d& w! y+ v/ c: A  \> same choice?
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7 y" N6 |. {0 c9 |# v> 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
  V% A3 h/ z7 L# @> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
1 N/ V+ [) V4 l6 `, j> Then he told the following story:
>
# b2 z' j! H" o- W0 s' E3 c' g> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" P2 s. ?4 `0 u- 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
> 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.
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6 K7 r0 O% l9 K* \: d/ I$ j> 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
> 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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8 _0 y$ w& }- q  b> 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
" ]& b0 {, r( D0 v) d+ W> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; [" z+ o6 i$ ]7 h5 Z5 @> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 Q! T$ z8 @; k9 ~: ]> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
9 J# l" ~3 x/ u; X> next at bat.
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7 P- D* a! L1 o* S6 g> 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
5 S) q; z3 D" {  Y> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
1 I. A7 U- b( X: q> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
2 [, M8 F+ `3 M2 G( v> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
! u* w# Y1 f4 E  \2 B; L: f> 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
> 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
9 d9 v6 n5 c$ n) Y> 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.
>
+ K: ?5 ^0 ]! ?" t> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; ~$ V2 F' A& d' |( i8 T! J6 H> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
- j' a1 p' k5 [  r+ @- z> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ R8 Z: Y# N. W$ j" L1 V% O1 n+ M' `( z> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) n. ?+ u: S5 w- ?" u  Q1 Z$ a+ _7 s> wide-eyed and startled.
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. k3 d6 p) E% H4 B6 c1 R9 ]> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
' M3 ^" N3 @/ q( h2 h2 Q> 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
3 z1 i) Y% v+ x> 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
# X5 q$ _% d  @$ ?  c3 I8 q1 e5 j> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* a+ n5 s0 b4 J& k( Q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
* r7 i) {% [- }7 M# n! ~- `> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
6 {$ Q8 r+ S2 ^" v  i; ^1 M> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
0 F, E. a' q, u4 |- P> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* Q* \" @5 R/ |% h' l8 T% H> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
" s% C0 Q, d) S. d> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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.
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3 ~0 I) f: L# T2 t) Z! v> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
* P/ T9 {9 ~, \( a! E8 F7 X- u> '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
! J/ @  G3 O6 X8 l> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
4 n/ M) G% ]' M* w: @> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: E0 k) F" k: h> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
# x' E+ K# H) a( N/ N> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
1 k& r" X8 k* O' B: U/ [- o) @0 l( j> '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
0 f3 u' z* N3 Q$ x> 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
$ ]. n# C7 W# i2 d5 ~0 J> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
; x- @$ P5 }$ r& p. Z> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* I- c1 d. U. Z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
, d2 e- i- z9 n' l7 n  M8 }; Q0 P6 O> May your day, be a Shay Day.