Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ G4 p9 {# T" L> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
" ?2 I& w" E! U% Q0 v, Z> 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
9 I7 p9 o) t' A) \/ V> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
* l. `# `5 @4 Q3 j/ j> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
. l$ E) d2 Q+ q+ r5 E> 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
0 E/ i0 H4 E+ k: q8 w0 a> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ d/ I! a# g+ z* |> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; E4 v# H& R* a7 G+ Q4 I1 h> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 {( p" Y; L% N6 `> treat that child.'
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/ @: G; |& \! p2 E7 g: `> Then he told the following story:
>
3 ]4 }+ }- j% Q- O% E' J- B! K. o> 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
9 L* W8 k4 X4 H8 A) \8 D9 L> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. t1 U. S& {, ^7 s/ L/ m2 i> 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
& {4 y' ]/ c3 h' G; P3 U* ~/ T! v, V> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
4 R0 M, n: W5 v, P6 l6 \2 B> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( v# m+ B" \2 H& G  e5 h' j+ }7 y> inning.'
>
> 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
> 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
% Q9 Y% g1 e% T$ U> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
; f$ d# c0 @: S6 n( y, U> 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
0 [  t7 N* B# Y> 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
> 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
7 ?* C. U* y: Q6 p# ^1 a# Y3 N, W4 {> 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
" Y3 Q9 l& u9 b4 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
# w( m. O9 q  F. S> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 y2 j( R8 H7 F$ i. m> 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.
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) q( M5 f' h! X- [0 _1 ?* ?  E+ h> 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
) F8 G& ]8 y$ X& `, ]1 ^/ L+ W> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 d* D# Q4 a  P) P. f9 `> wide-eyed and startled.
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# h# O2 P* l# G! E; b1 I> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 p1 [4 X: \% y) T/ R> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; s9 H2 o3 m4 i0 F$ b> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
% S9 w0 J2 |1 d( Y& V0 g; k> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. l  P# A  G& k8 K> 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
& s8 g7 a5 Q# z5 F5 F$ R7 A' W> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
  R' ?; x+ V) P8 Q! q8 h> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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  F2 _0 e/ \( w: q" m> 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!
, B) @* D( d" K/ u$ n# W5 W8 N> Shay, run to third!'
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  N" B; ~5 }+ V, n) ?1 {> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" E7 D4 W4 e, ~$ i> 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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0 b9 ?( B  o# Z> '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'.
>
$ K+ e+ H9 o5 c; Q> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: x, _9 A8 r3 R& R2 d+ u4 T> 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
> 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.
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# y1 n! D/ H& i" N  l! g5 m> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ e! p. b. ]& g$ U) R: ]> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# L0 ~1 ?2 h1 _5 i0 I> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
. L0 P0 o4 T+ Z" O8 k- M> 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
  n( j1 W+ Y' x/ q- l> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
3 \2 ?; O4 G: |% |> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
: V, ^5 F$ Q/ r) S# d1 `# B3 \  ?  v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
) x9 p# i6 L$ ]> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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3 R. u5 ]+ h7 W3 x/ }> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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# F$ I* n1 ^  A3 w# q* I> May your day, be a Shay Day.