Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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& x4 Q8 r' G0 ~! \> 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
! S' B# ^5 n- p: p- n> same choice?
>
> 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
# ^; {: U; p& _> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) U. W: ?) u; u: Y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
: J  i+ f6 B4 r3 V* I- d> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; u; H% U# @7 l* {2 M( t> 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,
  _. a" u1 ~% F. o' @6 x1 x, y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ E$ ?5 @0 ?+ E2 G# R5 i/ B> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: x7 H; G( e4 v! \. j# C  E0 I> 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
- u: I1 y* n! N0 Y' H& I2 S! l> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 ]3 _6 U2 k4 Y& r! v* P4 E> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 `: t' g2 r0 z4 C; R4 s> 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
  b4 _8 y  I/ Q: K( n> 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
; @8 j) G% S  H6 I! i> 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
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( X& w0 V" R* l- l: E: k> 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,
> 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
' g; L1 U3 E' u( \4 D+ }- c> 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.
1 l/ l  C+ w7 W" @> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
! E1 m' c/ W2 O% m> 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
' j: v. e6 w3 I% Q0 a8 r% P& g2 A3 I> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
5 D8 ^& w: L9 c; ~, F- U> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ x: a1 k2 T& t. m  T1 K7 _: s3 ?> 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.
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2 d1 O( R# F/ k> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; r* ^* S) F4 O- l> 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
1 y" {( c3 k/ c- J- U7 j> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& g: T; G9 i/ u' a& J+ y> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
. `  j' W5 @2 L* U. d4 h7 c> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> 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
. s$ T# p0 c" S. V% l2 \& A> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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5 n4 r' B7 u: G  p7 U> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) x( t1 C5 \% H: }+ p- b> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 k5 m$ U' e7 ]> Shay, run to third!'
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7 `9 e: B8 Z5 T/ \: C> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% x$ u/ ?% `  j> 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
2 h# O' g8 F  Q- c- b. Y1 o: ]> game for his team.
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> '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
+ w# h. u  o" h) c3 }> into this world'.
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> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
4 j& K( c# C9 e' u  |> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' A' B/ Q- ^3 O9 G4 h$ E7 S- @> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- D# n6 @3 e4 Y0 j( ]$ p6 q> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; h8 ]! f& `, o> 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
: [8 v" Y& i2 g> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
$ t- ]' }- a2 T( n) O; Y; m> 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
7 t" Y1 F" V5 ?1 r0 T# u> 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?
>
% W+ _. \. i9 f: i+ I" F6 @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 X' n2 j, n7 {1 {" G" A- W> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
7 g& ?; H1 J' D> 1. Delete
2 W" I( Z0 y5 N' ]. B/ _% E" D> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.