Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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, W5 g+ O% v1 [3 Q# b> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  P) r7 k* J5 @, l+ ]> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% |& ~) o2 ?4 K' S9 V! f> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
; J/ q% r' q, O( n> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
- R& |3 U1 L+ U6 p> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- R6 S  B* X# g1 I6 w4 t6 G> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 f: a6 ?& W; r9 B& g) X> 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.
>
$ T8 r* V8 T' ^* i: f: a6 @> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" Y; s6 P' d7 K: G2 {9 Z, G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 A4 I8 ^) m2 x! m2 \" i> 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:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* @# `, ^. m# ]) {> 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
, \' e6 _4 [; k3 K/ G2 J+ e> 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
3 g+ I2 ~9 Q% R" I9 x> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
! I8 }6 S4 V' i> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; R' P0 Q: [5 @. j9 d/ m8 d( V> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 C8 e6 p, V' |# t- {0 }7 D+ t> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. M, O1 L3 r; Q9 a; X> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 Y. }8 k) o& D9 D. [5 L& x) R1 c> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& O6 X/ D% [9 O> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
/ \2 G4 F# k' A( |* {& }> 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
> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
1 q' o, P2 e+ L# ]4 p> 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
4 d5 t3 J6 ~4 E# ^' V/ c- E) M3 Q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* o2 l; Q) P( I> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# x  @( c& S& a% [' f' O0 y> 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
  k# h( D8 J+ p% r, |/ U3 Q> 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
+ E0 q2 n8 D( ]: ?, B$ T. z> right back to the pitcher.
>
# x, Y6 W& [" l; M) S9 ~3 j> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' |& f- A0 M6 i9 `. C$ g& ^; B) 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 L1 ]7 t& R- z+ J6 c: |  ?> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* Y. d5 @9 b& \/ z5 g> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( F1 o  Y8 Z; x3 e  V9 q> 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
0 R; M+ E+ E3 j  `- M' o5 Y  \> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ T0 F( x4 D4 a> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
" @! B  z- @( A, E0 J: D) t> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
) j& M: c; n7 Z6 U9 m: a" o> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 i. }1 r' X' H1 G$ q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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
4 T8 L: a" h1 F8 E" j: W* H> 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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> '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
: V  K7 i8 W1 z$ v- G$ {! r+ S> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' E& k& i0 _$ m* O3 c> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
, T9 R! G* S, v9 z- u> 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
. j/ u( y0 v3 S$ H( {> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: V: V( W9 h. W4 |9 B& ~& e> 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
' H: F; X$ N% t7 e% d> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
! @7 G; x  n) e# O2 X( T. T! @> 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
5 L7 Y8 ^% H: }6 I8 j> bit colder in the process?
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6 ~, g1 k6 E4 s> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 {  p) R! d: \. ?5 |/ T9 \7 a5 X> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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' I( t( P& \+ m5 n$ F> You now have two choices:
3 M: C' U$ k! R> 1. Delete
4 h1 x1 d& [* S  C# W! T2 |> 2. Forward
>
$ R3 P. U) A# t9 X" U> May your day, be a Shay Day.