Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: a  |! f; p* w- E> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& K- L! d/ H0 F& O9 r# h, V> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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" H4 p! A) i2 H' O! H3 {$ {> 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
2 @4 {' T5 e5 g. z- A& X( X> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! t3 Q: R8 D- q+ [! F% i6 j4 g' Q> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! L0 l! O/ L2 m7 H' j5 \2 W7 @8 d> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- b! |$ q# D$ I1 W# U> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
  ]% G6 }9 B% A# ~$ w9 m$ c& |> The audience was stilled by the query.
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& i7 f! L  X( ^) j7 ]9 y3 j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 J8 X( U1 |9 J2 y4 Z; h7 {4 D> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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$ ~; |6 Y) r( @, q8 c, |; d) i9 T3 Z+ L> 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
5 a/ D/ [* J1 i9 x2 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
> 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
> 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
> inning.'
>
( J# A. `1 _5 |, `> 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
# b+ a- R  N$ J4 w# a> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ ~, Z6 i( }5 A9 D> 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
- s! k- E( c2 w) u; D7 M> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
- p4 v; [, `8 g  T" V> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ }4 h+ ~. Y; K> 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.
$ T/ k* V7 t& b4 l. n6 B> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, u! c& A* Q* O" A/ L2 b: {* K> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
+ C# r* X; X  ?) L$ T% ?# O  ~3 \> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ Q5 |# `' R/ O3 r; K0 T> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 V, z, E- G8 |> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
+ [% v2 p7 u* ^> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) m. b% y: s1 }! d" L0 D2 M> right back to the pitcher.
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- `; Q: a% h8 f> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 o. W& Y" P6 q1 Z> 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.
>
4 p( t3 r5 o8 c7 p7 }$ W; L> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 f' w" ~) N6 ?1 J  d! R1 X5 e$ {> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( `$ u. A/ v9 F5 `0 \' O* u> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
0 r2 C: n+ ]7 j6 ]- s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
' [) M) L: A2 I% \1 \& L> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 ^3 b7 [/ r* R' L> 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
> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
6 F# f9 L1 Z6 C: S% n> circled the bases toward home.
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1 ^+ U4 F, |) L5 l7 S) A4 N+ g) X> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
: b$ X# @+ F. |1 u> 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 ]: Q9 E8 }9 q% o> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
% o5 D& [% u; L9 Z> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 T0 c( @2 k0 h0 D4 A' f2 e! A- J> '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
9 f# _$ Y$ |6 x1 R> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
; r* A2 R9 O; m2 S2 {> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 S; R& I/ e0 ?4 C3 \> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% c$ F5 r% \8 @3 o+ v# 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 {% L1 t; x7 ]5 b. L> 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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# s  z- O8 M5 Q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 O) n2 q! w, Q3 }0 a+ b6 E" C1 |# R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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/ f  P+ v( |2 G6 X3 C/ b, T> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.