Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ o0 [2 P" Y% E9 E0 D$ u> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 N6 ?0 d/ B/ _> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  c! X/ q: n# y7 f/ B$ E# F> same choice?
>
" P9 U# `& {) d% Q* M' q% R! {. K> 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
+ o( u! R( q  x  q/ \> 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
; D$ x, E" ~. L1 V0 U> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
& S3 K! c# H  ~) {> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 p& ^. t" Z5 g3 l) E7 g> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 P: x/ s1 S: ?+ V> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. H  c+ Q# }5 Q. L, |( E. F) u  R> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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) D" F) {+ c: Z/ X1 |4 I, S> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! l! j0 [; N& {6 w3 v6 {+ e/ D> 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
4 f, |' y9 Z* O> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
6 _( z$ w/ p! B* i3 Y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 o6 P4 c) n* u1 P3 l- @! q+ ]1 S6 B> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
& |5 N- ~3 ^$ y- Y! A+ S1 {8 d/ _> 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
7 p0 Y0 E2 L/ L( P3 z+ O2 g- K8 ]8 k> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
- X! h" E$ p2 k* y7 U; a> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
2 z  x( k7 T5 U> inning.'
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- [3 @2 i' K4 l) h: Z+ b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 U0 J2 D. g( x7 ~! W> 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
0 I3 C, e' Y" M" b! e$ {( v> 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
0 f6 o+ f6 D5 E& |8 z> 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
# S7 w0 i' ]  k  }> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 f. l  ^3 t/ k& G( i. _> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ F5 e" B0 K6 b> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
: t8 ^2 S6 c% F% Q$ F& R6 {> 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
* ?5 K3 v9 ?3 r6 ]) a( D> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
+ Z2 M, ?: a( E. [, A+ S% ~> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( B+ g6 t4 h! d! o: [2 A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
! Q5 R, w4 G0 {' p" L> right back to the pitcher.
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$ G& z- r! s$ |# @4 B> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
7 x/ f- M9 D7 I; T% K8 Q4 f> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 _$ l! T6 _/ Z# A) ~> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
9 }' p& y, O' u! g> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ i" j- D4 R( A> 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
* [0 i8 L$ f9 y6 K6 O> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
6 F, f! s" s5 x1 _% K$ J> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
) Q% @; H  A1 a; a: D) A. ]: {. Z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ G6 ]. B6 Y9 ^! N4 i4 \> 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
) T; I2 j0 W2 r> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
+ ]. Q$ S! W- r) e> 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
> game for his team.
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# R* r) h9 }# C6 u> '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'.
>
+ ]" Y. T( F4 H( i2 q> 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
, h( {0 e8 ~( z0 Y2 f: A# B  ^> 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
- m  m& d4 o/ x, s> 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
) Q- Q1 |/ w' J! M9 ?/ }1 ?! Q> 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
' }! U* Y- I9 m% O) `> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ ~7 K3 H0 i& P> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: {' h$ Y8 _& b; S  i8 Q8 K> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
; ^9 b, L; Y. E5 @, m> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
! W) b4 u" }& N& i> bit colder in the process?
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; ]! ~' e0 q. a$ r" G> 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
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.