Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
& ~" g. k% Z  v7 B# O> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ U/ r9 N/ ~7 M4 {& g' k& ]> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. I+ T! ?; k0 D' ~" e> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
8 r1 a6 b+ S; y3 R9 \3 v2 H4 E> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# z  F3 ^& u) q8 B! H> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
* ]2 E4 f1 A% b' Y' h$ C> The audience was stilled by the query.
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! }5 w* e6 \# M# t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 t) B- J, h+ H3 H# E" K! W* L> 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
6 X6 C. J, p9 ^! s% P> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ P7 H$ _- p0 }* l' r, D" J> 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.
>
2 s8 ?2 J- n: |7 c) Q# f5 P# c> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" m0 Z: _- D' U> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
% D* C( W( J9 i> 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
0 c! G/ V0 F7 ]> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: s8 E$ I: d, e> 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
7 `1 k( N0 p: Q; K. L> 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
6 V6 d8 z2 h+ Y5 G3 p> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
8 f3 ]# |# t9 m+ o> 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
# T& k: N! A2 x5 S! U/ Q/ [> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
- V$ r3 \8 s8 Q& x/ d+ V6 ]> much less connect with the ball.
/ R0 N& f# [5 p6 m9 X+ I) U+ z3 K! U> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ f1 H7 {% ^: G" b8 X6 e" ~5 W> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' Q& ?" N( H/ a3 F> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 Z3 p. c0 [# P6 U- W2 d> 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.
& ?8 `4 ^2 s* I+ ]( E0 N> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
' o* z# t* u7 U* B; e> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 ]$ c- X' z! T' t+ _> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& A# ?: G  O* W/ t! l: e: I5 |> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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" O% t+ m" ^7 F! ]1 e% Y- c4 Y> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! }2 i0 ~6 C9 u. z) i> 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,
4 W; l4 W/ W0 ?. x* a" i% D" V: p3 f! }> wide-eyed and startled.
>
  f; G) @+ T& f& |3 T% j6 l1 w: F> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" v5 g7 g4 C2 X0 H* R> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( @' {! p: b$ n8 Y7 J> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
, {' y9 m& s4 S2 S! G9 t> 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
0 E" h# ]+ t3 O' p% D) K3 Z> 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
/ Q6 p; `' E  a" H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
# o! v/ f! D& V  T; c4 H> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
7 P. G) i0 k- U0 G, r; Y> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; @3 E2 W% H/ x5 h7 g> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
% B5 @  J1 L) J3 v> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# c1 P: R2 c% b% |3 p* ]0 v> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ L/ [) d! M+ r5 m" w> 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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( {! w' F2 Z6 `  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
; L3 Q( |1 T1 n8 h# j! O> 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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0 A4 x6 z9 T7 D* ?$ g6 `4 y> 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
, }/ R; ?2 `6 h5 f3 _+ I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; L& ]: b% \6 `9 h7 b. F8 ~, u> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
; m% o: d- [0 {  S> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 ~* K* S% k5 Y, M> 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
" N4 \& ^/ i: k+ s8 f> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
1 p7 A; b& M+ s0 @4 M> 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
7 i: c' k5 }  }6 U. @# |> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* i! g- {5 M! s: e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
/ P7 b# ?  l; I# S$ u# V> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.