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
" r, o' I( X0 n1 p> same choice?
: w# \) U1 @# t0 x( U" |& q>
> 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
! c+ I3 z3 k  l0 M> staff, he offered a question:
>
, y; A$ F% ^2 [> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
) ]2 A( s, [2 k2 @$ I# }5 Z( S/ D> 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
$ y3 a* b8 v0 h9 n5 [0 i> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ q  i6 t0 X/ o6 Y4 ~( ?> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
0 {7 [. ]5 ?# `+ T4 N5 h) v  I> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
6 D; W* _+ a9 g; w> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
9 S( {5 r( [8 A3 p' p" T9 Y+ L> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
* R$ z9 t0 M) I> 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
1 ?/ e  ~3 {6 o' y7 e5 o1 b9 u> 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.'
7 x: k" T1 }: ~5 i7 F>
& \6 C- g7 U: O4 M2 D0 ~> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
7 _' m0 A7 ^/ z: ~) g' g& a: k1 q> 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
* D% G5 v: R5 b> 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 U; G( h6 j4 B, K" n# X> 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
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" @/ [; h6 H6 M+ K! [. z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
2 s: w( ~. T( `! U1 U> 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
2 n% V6 p2 {% {9 K# e4 d> 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
& n6 `: K9 L3 s0 R4 _> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 o; B$ B6 q5 R$ ?6 |2 l> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
- ], t4 z3 Q  U: l9 l> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: U+ P! U0 E, t6 [> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
8 v, l% d5 [2 ?  }2 _+ g> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
9 L) |7 v2 L$ S7 j6 l1 `> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 e+ B% P( _9 y: o, z8 E; {  d> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ h+ j$ r5 q" D5 A/ s& c> 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
7 w  }: M& v2 E0 G> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 W; h0 n  e# |2 S; h  P> 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
+ j# m: x0 a% t7 `# D> circled the bases toward home.
4 F0 G/ P' X) x" v/ v- v>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
' p% s0 H7 S) c! ~% K( G& j" }>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
/ @" ?/ m) ?3 Y> 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
6 U6 [1 |, p2 u( ~- G  y( Y( B! I> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
& F, ~2 t- s* d" I% Y, h' d> game for his team.
3 M* v9 z/ f- a4 X8 [% n>
, }7 D3 H, O1 e9 ~0 ]+ Z( {& G> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' h4 x  b5 x- [& h2 v5 S5 K+ j+ J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- Y7 \2 R. j/ u4 O' t4 T. V> into this world'.
>
# U. Y1 F& B. v$ K- d" I- D  o> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 ?9 e. O8 `) r0 D! N> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% h' _; I/ K1 |3 y) z! N2 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
9 F) W8 `) f: U- H, X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
5 D& L  }  f, h' @) A2 Z>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. B$ B( t$ m6 F5 G- w# y( [9 r> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 Z. [) o0 B$ u' \. v6 Z, T> '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
, i* T" u: n* [> 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
0 {" n/ A; f- \$ k; X; o- n6 v> bit colder in the process?
+ U* n6 A  v2 O/ l  G9 O; ?; s>
3 s0 n4 G7 A3 V' k2 V" S2 t> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 e, L, Q6 O) k* N> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
' a# h$ q/ q+ u, w) p> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.