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?
>
) V: e4 Z/ c9 y- N> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 Z4 q3 H" Q5 U( o( ]+ |5 [, D1 L> 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:
>
> '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
# o. Z, E) A( ^> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
, ^0 o2 x/ b( t: U& ^>
7 p6 p" \( W% }, R! Y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 h  V- |! v9 B3 O7 k% b> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
2 @0 ?  u% p. [. ]> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; \) C1 f+ a8 ^! [1 m> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 B' |# R, `3 m6 v$ j> 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
/ N! N1 ]3 ~( M$ o) b0 y> 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
+ V" X/ `: D5 A& b% v> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 y/ {: F! O3 y7 M4 B' Z, I% [> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
: `. x9 [" G, u: O0 o" Y8 f: Z> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
; @8 L* i) |: u+ ~$ e5 T" G> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
) Y' }4 g9 z; i: D> 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
; M& o% k* R5 T> 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
> 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
' \; C7 b* J, r' ~) {> next at bat.
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& l; V/ ~8 {& U& A# ^2 X# ]> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! e; F. U) `. K3 E0 _  L) c( y> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ O. h6 S8 Z! Q8 \) e+ B+ A9 w4 R; ?> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, i) \* m; b0 P& _1 u> 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
" |$ L! y: m5 ^& K, X3 e> 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.
>
> 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
' ]% \# F1 j& N2 S( I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; D: Y/ }' O' m* \. r! l6 c> wide-eyed and startled.
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( `) C; P* _/ T> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% M# r) s0 e5 v( g> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
. O& s& R& r9 ]' K( D+ ?9 X# N" t> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
7 o/ H* M6 n, a* A# W> 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,
, c/ \% @! t; @! c' V  u0 {> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
: `' C0 u! E; [> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
0 Q7 ~6 d/ h- V: e> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 C% Z5 U& k& R> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
  Z# l3 ~1 B5 I. W* B/ h) V> 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
* c' P3 u5 I9 |+ ], k2 h> game for his team.
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> '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
. R$ E+ e, U" \4 s0 O5 _: l> into this world'.
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" y! L+ @3 z- n: w6 {6 C9 O> 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!
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> 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
4 U6 {7 C9 o& l> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 o' s  }  b. ?3 Q  V3 l. p6 n! \> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
2 x+ K) K8 t/ X+ G>
2 U2 o( S; b% E1 l' g( `> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 _' n5 ^: p6 R5 W& d> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 {/ l( e# m+ q> '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
" X6 X# T' S% [* R: J> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 K; i  l6 J. z6 j1 _  J1 Q( P; z1 A> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" j8 Y( B4 I, s> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
* C5 i0 ?! S: |) |+ E$ ~>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 L  X  O2 [; J0 ]1 A> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
( K$ [9 @4 G7 d: W* v9 U3 }> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.