Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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  B) \( M: U9 T) N> 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
1 O7 `. V' ^' N: U9 \- p> same choice?
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> 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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% Z0 A: F8 h9 ^  @( N' t: I- W% s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' K' d! i4 E/ x4 D  d8 E! V9 `> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' S1 H7 s8 K+ Z8 l: g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) h( \- ?, x, k$ B2 ]4 P+ ~5 w3 H> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
$ X" v! _; z5 z! k& ~4 S* Q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 H7 T4 P  H  q6 L$ C- i> 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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+ \/ V9 u4 y$ n/ m# v! |, V> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; d1 Y% ?1 E& ^7 y4 g7 X' o> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 @0 N" _/ S7 {) X( [  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,
5 Y- c: o# c$ }/ n2 A  V> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ W1 Z9 a) p& [2 b9 t5 z2 z, k4 F> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
$ O! E3 R! S: }& k> 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
> inning.'
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> 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
) |1 i& {$ N* e, _8 t> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 Y. j2 u0 y$ N) n- o> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 h& i9 F6 E/ _& T> 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
& E- J+ r5 g6 I6 ?) z4 d> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> 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
> 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
  u& |* p8 ]1 `> 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
+ X. Z; c% t) l> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
0 u& M& F  J- {; L> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' F* a: c# A/ T: I: g> right back to the pitcher.
>
% z$ b" b7 l7 }> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( n9 f, H2 R/ L" J9 H. ~' P2 a; m# B> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
, M5 N! C6 O' U> 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,
% O7 d1 X! y& `2 F$ O( f  N> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 m" q% _& J; j# 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
1 Q7 u& D9 n: w, t( ~> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# _: `) b0 e" g; P> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! D0 a( d4 ~- l: d> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
5 Z* L6 H" {6 t4 M# Q$ L5 B/ M> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
1 x4 N( Y& p5 G) B; q" }> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( D1 p1 H1 O  U* }+ ^6 S' N8 ?9 Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( Y7 m9 `/ {$ {6 J/ R( h> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 e! k0 I' d, ?- @% X! W> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
1 |: g; A8 X; X& G  ?> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 K) i- j+ q# r> game for his team.
>
( D. F9 ~; n' K( L; u> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, r/ Z3 x$ h2 ]& T9 N; r  s5 [+ A> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> 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!
>
6 \! n* ?5 b4 |" h9 O3 A> 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
! d' D- o- k$ ]$ M: m1 M5 A> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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) T, h# o3 W- @> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# ?8 U1 F* J  T: Y9 R2 t> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
) {3 Z# U+ H, d! N9 a  c' r> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- [7 }. O% J' s> 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
4 w8 L! d& I0 ], v4 y9 r  v> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! b, w3 o6 s+ m& d3 C> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" S- r1 _- y* W) c5 [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
; p( _- v$ D! T> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
; t( Q2 \  x. `" F! [; J> 2. Forward
>
0 g  J3 g, x5 S4 `" }> May your day, be a Shay Day.