Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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) j: ?* z0 P6 P: X  V3 s> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. x  h# N' L- D3 z+ X* x. [> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; Z. K8 Q; h; y# E3 _> same choice?
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9 M$ P8 e9 R) K0 z/ I0 L- W& T' C> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- g  R' \! Y8 s/ Z3 c> 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
0 c% m+ W9 U5 W: ]6 M  F> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ J. t: S. c" M4 P5 A> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
4 }! g; _5 d/ D" U, y2 U7 O> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 b$ j3 V1 `. O* w> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& L6 E+ z  O* V# ^7 n> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 g2 [! Q! Z) Q4 `% Y8 o> 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
3 |- C; G$ h8 Z7 D' z2 n> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ b) O8 ]% `2 G1 e: e> inning.'
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; ]2 n+ c7 a: ~* _9 G> 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
1 @  c2 B2 c7 w, t> 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 I; h: @# e9 ?3 u  F> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% D, Q8 J) E7 H4 ^$ S+ l0 |- _> 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
+ j; d) z; d+ k/ C7 {> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: h$ |0 v  ]# I> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
0 ~6 e* ]$ Q; l& Z& d9 A5 v> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
  T; V+ ~  B& h5 ?5 }) n1 T> 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
> 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
$ W0 O6 [7 T8 y' M0 ~> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
7 \: g, u3 f2 T& V- E2 Q> 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.
>
* e9 w1 S% T! F' _/ [0 \! s> 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
7 h& d' p, d0 J) y1 H9 g> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
# \7 g+ @9 A/ D( ]( \& H/ H" t' |> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& t$ o: i+ ^3 v& T' f1 t# }) m4 D> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! K% _& q5 D0 ]> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 a1 a8 n. U, S9 @2 @8 R& n> 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
5 b0 e3 F1 y; Q1 e> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 @. {. h& n: v7 F% ~> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. h4 C$ \6 {2 E; W, |& p> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 n! T; h% a) V4 u> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
  ^, I) B  Q; V> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
3 p% V9 I3 V' M" H1 _( i> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( [6 @# k& d7 }# D: W. u5 a+ Y# f* u> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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& O+ P1 N" {2 e2 o" A6 h> 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
, ?( R- s, i/ N# R> 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
> into this world'.
>
> 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
> 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
! p: Y. E" F+ J/ P; |% H> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
9 C) `/ i4 O0 l. J> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 ]4 A) M/ r  Q% L: t> 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
6 C' w! ]. u; Z; \8 ^. N> '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
% i% o; `6 ]0 z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> 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
+ T7 j2 S; c5 [& W& b5 ~> bit colder in the process?
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; k! ~8 U, T) `7 `> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' x- @# ?" q1 X8 K9 j% z> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.