Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
! K6 e9 \8 n  t3 Z> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  a* Q6 S0 t: y! k6 _" y8 `> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 s+ e9 Z8 `& G: W> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
# Y! V! S( p7 W2 Q. g> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# F" x/ f+ @  Q# S' J. d> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
$ W! t: E/ n3 y) \1 k9 Y$ B( C/ t; e> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
6 g/ W, |7 m2 g+ z6 n>
0 w" \* a: v5 B2 V9 I# i> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 k- M7 Z5 |7 I> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- P" R  ~2 h4 h( U3 v, a% `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( q8 O" l: i$ Y4 a/ J! x6 y4 H4 P> treat that child.'
>
2 k% B( j( L: b, M. B( z2 ~> Then he told the following story:
$ f0 K' |4 Y1 O, O: K! r>
$ n! E, b8 f4 r' s> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; ?8 m9 o4 @2 ?5 l% g$ Y> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
; N, k0 V7 D" t# l7 x> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
, J4 m* y9 Z2 l2 b>
> 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
4 x3 ?/ n: i- F& E> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
$ E! z. R8 X, u/ L9 A. J/ j6 r, M> 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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* O# D% P  E  f. a: b; @% |  ]> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% l) x1 U9 E8 u  z> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, y: B) v) _+ F6 _> 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
, _- ^$ o: @- c$ ?/ a> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
* V1 i7 u: a. n; h* r> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  l3 c, G5 C* v; `> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
* P$ P0 A6 L) k7 P> 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
. a" l$ J6 ^9 n' S8 i( ~$ v6 g: a2 Y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
% l+ n$ \+ l) R3 E+ B: t> next at bat.
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1 P' |0 v$ ?& g; }$ N> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 m% F' P. z9 o2 @> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ M9 ]+ E% L( |> 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
& w6 }' C1 q. {& \- J) a6 i' E> 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
, \4 L7 K" a  a> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 c' B- x. s" R+ Z% e1 Q  @> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# x/ U' F) O7 T5 Q# A> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
- N2 X! `/ p* `$ f7 U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
8 @7 p. g/ g2 J$ O> 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
4 X; ^( s/ q+ M1 d9 ~+ {> 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,
* b& o. H3 N1 k% X, h# [' A> 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
$ _0 @1 Z; P. p> 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
> 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
3 B/ p2 f, W% K9 v( Q- D> 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'
>
/ J+ s3 Z2 B1 z% J2 @. B& S> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 d7 P3 o9 ~, k1 t+ `  }0 q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 s3 r/ |) v# \9 O( }4 I' f> 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
> game for his team.
>
> '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
& O7 c8 U, M1 W9 S> into this world'.
>
" M( Y: O, U; C$ o8 U7 D> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" l! O6 ~2 o7 P" k6 i* z2 [+ |> 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
0 V1 W9 @" y4 k1 Z> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" B2 M5 i, M  K: E> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
) J' {/ r1 e2 _8 {! v6 K> 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
( ]  {" @# }8 m- D/ `> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* W, n! r+ K3 @4 a2 D> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
: f7 `# N9 g& G7 q3 O- X( m4 S> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 A* F' i; a( L9 T> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
2 e: I1 a' B" }+ l3 g7 R>
$ m' h' l  J  O9 I! N# l> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
; |- j* i6 ^/ j0 I: k3 ^& R2 ]7 m> 2. Forward
>
* v# N( @) g; C( X# K, s  q# L> May your day, be a Shay Day.