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
7 |( ?: k( c3 G7 \. Z> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  n  C8 m* O; H) g2 @> 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:
>
+ v* d! K  O; |$ N( g' |> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' W9 l! e4 ~7 L: b> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
1 |1 b  t4 R8 M  i! b/ n" t> natural order of things in my son?'
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3 e8 m8 D) [% z3 k> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ g8 D0 Y8 u& C8 [% o( y> 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
2 T! S- D/ W2 J1 K. H% Q/ G- a$ p> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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, M+ n; A& s0 ?) {0 R6 N> 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
4 B* _( x$ w0 T2 L> 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,
& F, }1 u8 e* h0 ]4 u" Z! `4 @$ C> 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
> 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
+ x3 k8 ~0 i% S5 I( z( P6 a> inning.'
>
* L; c; n: Y$ U+ t> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% ~* |7 K+ B4 c4 L8 y; ^0 Y# U> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! H/ Y6 c1 x. O4 Q) e> 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
" I- t( K# C& D& g* o> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
4 f- E1 ~- l$ a  h2 |> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& r. D1 Q' E& T  h) K7 ?# v0 J> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
) @- @( z, f" @" ?2 m> 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
: O" D* z8 ]! G) Y' |> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 i$ p8 K, D. g; N, \4 J> 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.
5 ]) ~/ @& c1 j( t( z> 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
> 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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> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ N9 d+ |+ S3 d1 |# i! C8 P> 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
0 f- X9 P6 B  n: Y" m2 c$ L' p- d2 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,
  P; m9 I) [1 S" [, W! E$ E> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
! Q% s8 N8 \5 y; z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" d! I7 r) N" N  U9 X# \& E> circled the bases toward home.
>
( X/ v. x6 z: q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: k) F1 t- M# `2 v9 b> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( N% g; }) h' J/ _. {> Shay, run to third!'
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, U% R* ]$ P4 [> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ T1 U) m) t- O5 I; J& z> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
7 b6 l* V3 H+ Q$ A9 U6 ?> into this world'.
>
> 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
% w; I2 y3 @9 A3 t- |" I  m> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
/ N. J, m+ I: {* C1 A) B> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) ]: j% K6 {/ M+ Z# N> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& ^! o6 i7 ]. W, X> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 A" P; O; s% a; ]9 a> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" m& q6 h; a3 |> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% F0 g* U) r- P1 C# `9 t> 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
, _" N/ u; H( o1 Q; s) D' O> '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
+ g1 J4 v) l5 r/ z* 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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( q$ p5 P! L7 a8 H$ m0 q5 I! i8 d. X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& ^1 K' Z. H. c* W' o8 s% }>
> You now have two choices:
# @, }- ]* T# o8 m* k> 1. Delete
. j) q5 f8 N  j9 Y5 k> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.