Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ \' w& F0 z  b' p& ^/ c7 M) T> 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?
>
> 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
; ^" c) [' Z! h9 E+ ^! B> 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
3 L4 q- R# a3 Z" {1 D> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 R8 D0 s) T* e% W> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* X% L2 E$ F# |4 X4 k> natural order of things in my son?'
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' g: g2 g' n8 E0 m8 q$ Q> The audience was stilled by the query.
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* p5 q# t- a6 s5 x+ `; u0 E, \" ?( U) C( c> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
6 X$ G9 N1 l8 b/ ?, j5 t> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ S, q! E9 u9 j1 {: l0 X: {> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: {- _, D/ G( z: u0 K7 d> 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
, Z" p; V" H; q. T, U> 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
% K) s9 }  ]6 ~; ]) F> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
" B; _4 ]4 _9 X! \+ J# t> 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
2 M0 F" G9 i$ P> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
1 I9 g# i# [+ g' X1 j, O> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
: B, s0 E+ V& s# o6 G5 r. W> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 z1 t7 h* X$ G> 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
4 s9 M1 h, t5 x+ r) W; ^- F# T, a' J( [> 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
; |2 C2 c( _# z+ d& u' v8 I> 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
> 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.
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> 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
7 @2 H, W% A4 y, q( C. S$ C> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 X2 j( n5 m: q2 l$ J5 K) q> 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
/ F  T- M6 l2 I5 a$ }5 [> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
) `- C9 R" {# w6 ~1 U> 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
+ Z5 T( }  C6 C) E" ~! Y3 E4 ]& k6 V; ]> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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. R9 p$ `4 p( |2 U+ B- K3 H# t> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& Y0 e9 d: M2 r  D> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
, H* P% ^% l6 S% `/ }! N> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 V- h; E; ^9 p4 k> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! K9 P; C, e. e' q6 C3 I. Z+ _> 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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. w$ A6 Z4 o1 j> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& ?1 q4 U* U. \9 i6 e$ e. ]( Z2 {> '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
8 Z, C. l' g, f& u, c> 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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: N# y0 l" `; c9 S: z( v> 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
. V3 Y9 r, W* k3 c" V8 |> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
, q9 v5 O- ^* B$ _8 o& f+ K1 t> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) t. e* E1 g) b7 I' X3 h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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+ R# d/ ]( p; U$ Y, j$ D> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- P1 v3 X- q- }5 V> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  x( Q/ B& p1 `. U: n  A8 Q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- s7 Z. I4 ^* b- c, {* h: w6 z> 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
) D' o; U! t* K2 P/ p> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 C, X" @8 k/ O7 y& W, C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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; J: i1 E8 ~- _> May your day, be a Shay Day.