Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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?
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8 K7 l- F0 w& X> 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
  v* r8 ]8 n) U) L6 h4 f* L> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
  y  ?7 Q9 {* S* }* M> The audience was stilled by the query.
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! J9 I% Y9 l0 \> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 ?+ t$ J7 ?( l( i4 @6 u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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6 q1 }& r" O, i4 z1 p> Then he told the following story:
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% n) G/ m4 S: @. Y" [( l. B4 Y> 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
  @0 c, Q3 H" }( ]; F> 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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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- I. c% }, p# W) i* L; H> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" i! o8 ~' D1 ^$ H; v/ y> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 }' N8 d, M0 p> 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
( e: n% `4 O0 s$ z> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
3 I* I" [4 i1 F% n3 j/ \> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 R% ~7 Y0 d" M" g- L; ~> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
  y5 x2 }% E; S. ~/ T, B> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 }/ A% Q$ E7 R! [, P4 n9 Z% ?> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ c$ d8 m0 k% Y2 o8 e4 o- `> 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
4 W$ b4 f: H! q" E' d> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; o) [* L9 T( P> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" a: d! C" z" U: ~- {$ E& w7 Z+ D> next at bat.
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3 j$ M5 t0 B% s> 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
; }0 S& z- r( X5 S> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
! P& k) ~# H* [8 ]; S4 y, I, b> much less connect with the ball.
5 p! ]  A$ D2 F8 r1 ]6 y4 J> 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
( O4 j! P; d$ Z6 {( I> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
" M4 e; v6 e7 D5 N7 t7 s& ^% i4 }> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
( p" ]8 a/ r, S* ]1 B' l> right back to the pitcher.
>
. }4 t0 }6 @( K( m/ i> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 f5 i) V: a8 _* M9 L> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: L# K2 E# n# C5 v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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
6 I. Y6 b" @" F- R. |' O> 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
/ a. L& @) Y. c1 Q0 Y; q) N> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. {0 ^  J6 }% O; j, h> 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,
> 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
) I* I5 m0 W) u5 O) w: I> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ `$ H! }7 M& p# f  u2 ~1 B  g5 x, I> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 w: A1 v4 L3 q* G> 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
$ }+ b$ b) m: K$ R8 |> game for his team.
>
2 B5 ^4 P! f  X> '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
: B6 r6 K+ c2 O3 X0 [/ l: F/ q4 ?5 ]# e> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" k3 s$ ]. x5 P* P> 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
+ \% s* h% J, u+ D8 S' v. H> 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
! V; _. y1 L3 Z/ M/ X- t> 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
/ I, ^2 u, k: d; Q* p* r3 U9 ?> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
8 W+ l# o& [1 u- ~% f0 I6 w' u' r0 ]> 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
> 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?
>
: @, o$ Z0 s2 @) d3 ~  L; a> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 E. f) D2 }; A. Q: Q) E0 g> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.