Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 o# b- ^5 q* B# b> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 d$ y3 t  R; N9 p> same choice?
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> 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
. C* ]0 H" ?5 X4 d> staff, he offered a question:
>
# U0 t, C) x+ L3 y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 r) x" m' Q! t4 `> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 S8 [  Z& X5 a> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 I8 @; B3 ^; D  F$ z# h1 r) p* R8 o> natural order of things in my son?'
>
' |7 g. m# ^9 p9 G: h9 G& y> The audience was stilled by the query.
9 z8 |2 F$ m3 W! l' K' h; w/ I>
4 S4 Z" j$ a7 T- 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.'
>
/ S/ F% a1 Y/ d8 q  a: E> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
. g3 v" l% w4 A1 o; X0 G, h/ l> 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,
" }4 ]9 h) i1 Q0 }% d, x# Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
; X4 }! U/ x# Q- C- X> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" \2 r) O! Y' {& A9 s2 U> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
" S3 X, O+ k1 S; u" G, Q* |> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( k# q4 r& G9 D+ ]" r& f; g8 D> 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
3 R* V4 B4 v' Y1 B/ E> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 [' v8 f$ |" [: r% G0 P> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) ?7 @- L7 G8 K4 ^> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 I7 s& F6 A6 V( r1 t/ K> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
+ ?3 F9 @; f0 W" b7 Y* _* e> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
6 T% F' W  `$ s6 D* S, A- f% U+ i$ N> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> 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
' I* G  u9 X- S3 L! r# Y> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
* \' {, v; }& Z  M> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 h4 x, q$ q: t( a  ]# q' |# u> 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
* ~2 H- e" X, i& O> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% `* P$ b: [+ v' v% G> 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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8 W& b* S4 L: Q' o5 }3 I" s- q) A( M0 [> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% `0 H8 q* r2 O( _6 e* {$ A> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ x, p1 h+ K/ ]3 O, `$ x> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
, d% i# u5 I7 Q7 j5 K> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
: q" v# @3 {$ H* I7 p> 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.
7 ~6 w- _$ c% {* I>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% e8 C' z  \$ t; V2 |- m9 Q/ i> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: ?1 q6 q* ?; R1 j% K> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* o' q4 i4 N5 L6 X$ l3 W7 x> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
6 O/ U' k, W2 a1 n3 i> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
" |- S" }2 Y! H: H. w  v3 f: m: ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
' G5 ~$ Q. G: C, @> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
& F* F' s5 d0 C( K>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 P' p/ U0 _6 H- d/ E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# t: j5 ^  }& P: k* Y> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
7 ~* ?6 }) E0 z; q+ y' {: c- M0 c> 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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  D" t, q6 z7 \. r, Q$ 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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) Z1 v/ A, ?9 `+ L2 W- A) _* Q> 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!
7 ~. S$ M- ~$ u: O& X. s>
> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, f! ]7 W8 n5 F( i> 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
: v) ^* e5 T$ g5 @/ q% z! @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" T+ n: W; [9 b5 U, i9 z: J7 H> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 R2 ~$ T  f& H5 A: E. j> 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?
>
2 a3 e  Q$ I+ w# \# c% y- ?4 f7 x> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 U& o0 K4 H$ F2 J- c& e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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  Z1 S4 g8 q# m+ N> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.