Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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) C) ?: G: B4 _& R/ B> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 o! _: j  `: i> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 a. i1 U) I! ^- P4 A/ y+ G- D+ c4 J> 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
4 A/ s- p4 J' G/ Z> staff, he offered a question:
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4 ~" O  e; `4 u: K' m' _1 x; a> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
  Y. }# v& k$ g3 k: B. _> 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.
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* i" H# g/ f( D( d% E3 N> 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:
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/ A. R% [: B  o. C> 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
  r8 Q: f) }' M) B+ k. w8 i> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
6 b) e$ S' E: C: @* i8 N- i> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 b& L& D' e- u: [> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
1 Z/ G9 M5 Y" D$ S! }( B3 A/ N1 G> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
/ X+ p, Y! w4 P5 d4 Z' `> 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
; x) z9 Y: _4 C& ?4 I9 s/ X$ S> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 T/ Y" f6 a0 _- g$ N1 G7 e3 u> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 ?8 P+ M4 g" j5 X' x, ~( |> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
- m  Q7 i* j& Z) L/ I> 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.
>
$ j+ p+ ?& J/ K$ D2 v( K  V0 ?> 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
5 m! X) g! f  _. p! C& h; ?> 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
, T1 E2 s& P, e; w, L0 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.
9 k" b$ B! D5 A4 c6 e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* ?, U0 ?9 a" h; C6 @, u# z0 q- E5 t1 _> right back to the pitcher.
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6 _/ h0 |' V# e) p) L% _> 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
4 @  N* @, W% Y/ I3 e; H> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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: l% p$ _8 K+ T- o! P) g0 f> 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
! U3 o# s, h- b) Q> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, ^8 {% V1 d5 Y; k- V$ G' y! N> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
9 N0 y! C# V- n# D> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- L3 R6 |1 j2 e% V2 M* L# d> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) L6 r- n. Z- T# P1 I! O> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; H6 Z7 J4 ^  Z7 m7 B- w> 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
+ g0 y/ l; J- q4 s> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
1 J6 u: f- w2 q+ C> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: X% C& X2 R! F3 _6 i, u5 R) b2 Q! V> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
5 n* c0 J7 s" }, \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
+ {; u. ^) l* T' w* ?$ Z# n& i9 P> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 U4 U% ?6 _" z- p> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 W% S1 m4 _% \5 n4 p> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. \' [# E$ N$ l6 I- s. n. M! t3 D> game for his team.
>
% j7 x# K3 q5 a$ A3 `' K& r> '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
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% @1 i  X" E+ w- m( n4 Z6 ?> 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!
>
+ R. s8 D; _; k* v' U> 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
> 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
> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. ^  b9 e3 Z, s7 N: U3 R> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
+ L( m$ Y) p7 _1 @  i& X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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: t8 y3 w; o  ^% C2 t> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.