Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' o+ I1 }, \& p$ k, [> 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
; [: g. \$ F: i5 \> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
0 Q5 T6 [( `3 ^0 p> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
8 j' T3 d* p* G9 m> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
# b: w( \6 x, b0 q  L> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& O- I' E9 F8 S/ H; Y> 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:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: \2 `, U7 M4 {- h% g" e> 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,
+ m% g* K3 n$ x2 [> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' [1 M2 y1 @( [> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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9 |6 C& z7 \% ^% e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: p* j$ k. y2 Y2 r> 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
! ?: K" y5 \' w, T9 w> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 u. D5 @2 Z7 n" b$ v5 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
/ R& e5 W: \" I1 u/ _4 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  C, |; X8 ]( U6 X! T" @3 j> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
, ~9 v  o# a9 ^2 Z> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( V) d% o; t* c9 a+ J/ ^, F> 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.
>
" I5 a+ h9 t! H1 t- E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 W+ G2 Y* Y( G' N" W$ O> 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.
0 Q, H- D; |9 }9 a> 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
$ h8 l3 U& O& L! t: E> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 w" d' k5 T9 M( `4 P. V4 J> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  j1 `1 D8 d7 ?$ B6 X" P> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 u' y. X9 \. W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
, e' O( j9 }" Y4 l" X> right back to the pitcher.
>
8 v: k, W/ N4 {- ~* @$ B> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: N8 b3 }* b! H( R/ l3 ?- O% y> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
' G8 E: G' }& {* i& J& n> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
/ z( }1 w8 A5 ?- Q> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ ]. s: ]& k2 l/ R! m2 |> 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,
6 `, s$ E- v9 Y3 c* Q1 `> wide-eyed and startled.
>
6 k/ W# Q: O2 g' H; f- k% t3 N* Q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# y: R7 h; I9 P8 e7 q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& F! N* l8 R  Y$ T7 M* w> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
0 G" l. y: k% `- f> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
# R8 S- c) W: t' [- V( G) u  n> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
0 n* T7 e( ?2 C5 t7 }* R2 t- o> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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/ F6 {3 Q: A8 I5 G& _1 \% n> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
0 V+ |1 m- V, F, Q; m2 z! p> game for his team.
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0 T* u* U' {- S( n" f9 p- f> '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
* L4 \" P, B/ m0 Q> into this world'.
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, o3 s& m2 ^1 p6 o) s> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# S2 s/ P# [2 u6 ~8 |> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 L+ t# K1 c7 E+ C3 H> 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
8 q% {1 [1 ?* H% B/ ]4 Y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ B( U8 N8 L8 k; K> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
5 B& L) ?7 D6 K7 x# v> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
' y2 H6 f$ ^3 m% o/ `5 U> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, J8 I5 |& {7 d, j( C> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 K* c5 W  f. p; W0 O9 [> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
8 C& V0 p5 z- D> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" x; O! Y* |; N/ ~/ h# L0 J> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. d0 _, i. O3 Z% f5 Q6 y8 n> 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
7 [- @) g0 [4 C* z> bit colder in the process?
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- B8 t7 O0 \7 {6 O> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 c. ^; b0 y4 S9 K! M  M> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- l9 z; o% E/ h: @5 G+ o> 2. Forward
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6 @1 k& h! @" _5 Z- X+ A> May your day, be a Shay Day.