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
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
! p) `' Q2 v4 k# w+ t> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
, X& [8 E  [# \4 R> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! W: q1 W5 Y- t5 R> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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.'
>
2 h4 @* R7 o# B! D> Then he told the following story:
>
* H0 w/ o& v" `> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" x6 k* p/ v7 s0 e) u+ W4 B> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 Q8 ~' R( M# {4 A2 ?; d# _> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 j+ x0 B" W- z" H> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
0 s- p. L3 J, p7 w6 o> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
" H- H% r( J1 i* A) R2 n> 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
> 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
) ~: W( N6 [% r: h* a( e> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 ?& u; ?) }2 e  k, B> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% l6 V& b# c+ L5 J3 t) i> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" {0 X3 E! }5 h4 J  c# g7 r3 U> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
3 J/ F$ v! \( A  ?% t1 b# U8 |> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
  O1 d7 ]8 I+ C5 v>
9 w! h4 w7 K- }3 H+ W> 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
) s2 l3 g, H, v> 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
> 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
> 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.
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$ T" K5 R- z- Z3 _% w- {, J& ^* j& a> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
- x; p* F" [- }! f; {) c' `1 y> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
+ y" M" I3 P5 P> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
1 r3 T( s+ M8 q* h9 ]. G> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
& D6 b0 v6 I$ v9 L. T3 T, X$ V>
  e5 d, N( }5 a> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 L' _" I- A& i9 ^; _* y& k> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. U- O2 `4 ?8 Z5 U- G> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ e! h! L5 E/ B' Y3 y+ ^' v- _> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* O3 B: }4 I  @' K' ^8 l> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ c' E" r/ }8 h7 g> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
* z6 L! @! V, m' j- S>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 b  {* f8 D. k> 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!'
1 L; b4 v' q. I$ _$ v>
* R. n3 N3 G3 |9 e> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: w8 e* ?( e: q1 F) l> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
& W+ I& t- @# x* c& u" q& Q2 `> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
9 u( ~7 e. D2 y, B: A>
& ]. E- n: ~( W> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
- @, H2 ~7 i7 T0 G0 o. J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
2 w4 m& {/ r  L7 j; \3 V( d> into this world'.
& b& N1 T  C" B2 K- l: S9 W>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) {$ S& `* e# U. k> 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!
>
9 P" u! v% D" b8 w> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 M+ S6 e0 W' H& M4 a> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
) Y& Q0 Z' Z4 ?2 x5 ]8 |>
> 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
> '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
" a6 c, s. K+ ?  J, B> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
, W# C4 \  ?! c* h5 Q+ \6 m> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' |% O* j1 z" i: `5 K> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ M5 m8 Y( F. _  f* I# Q  q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 r9 W% Z9 \) |5 v) `: z3 M# `> bit colder in the process?
>
* H4 n0 J) g2 B! d. h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" t# M& h! @& K> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
, D' X. v1 b: W, y0 C7 [> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# C( x7 R# ~$ |; ~+ X. Q* N/ R> 2. Forward
/ k! \* z( n, n, L2 D. Z- H' \1 u9 c>
/ Q! k! y2 o5 c) q. h4 V. o> May your day, be a Shay Day.