Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 U6 z8 w% u& r, @> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( Y; u. \+ C7 y- a5 k> same choice?
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> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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3 G$ ^9 p3 e- B# t( O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 [4 a1 A1 @+ T  c> 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?'
>
5 }3 F: Y* h" U) C7 j> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
+ }8 Y4 e. \, }, a# N, o3 L6 a> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 T4 U3 A2 G1 g7 i  {$ A5 ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ f6 F, J* j/ C6 q! f, A0 y7 p> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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! h, V3 b/ [% t5 Q, Q> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" ~% M; `" L$ G; y$ |0 W> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ f5 X! l: o: F! h. I$ Z$ g2 m> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
# M' _, z  W' f( ?> 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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/ w* i3 `; a' v/ C5 m7 T5 o> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- r2 s) m% P( e2 s" P7 T+ V1 [> 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
; q: K3 d; \% V6 G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; [/ U8 R* b$ i8 q) ?' m+ Q1 {4 K8 J7 D> inning.'
>
6 h% I1 C1 m2 }/ R> 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
$ g+ F1 R3 }$ S! |2 e: ]> 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
> 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
+ ^4 R( Y% M0 V: Q: ?5 H0 M> 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.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. t) L' l+ e2 @# N6 I9 O> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
1 P  j8 l; P+ \( i> 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
> 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.
: \/ W, u; p- [: g, }5 F% e6 q0 ^+ E> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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4 K2 P: v5 {+ _: `% W; q/ s, a7 S> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
, M/ |. `1 L8 Z; e  i* t> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
- V& v! k5 r. H) r> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( N# t4 L3 w0 f6 M7 ?> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* V7 o2 f/ I. L8 F- U! m> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
7 Z( u1 Q( |: D  f4 B6 b7 A) Z- f> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% T$ `# A- Q5 D+ K> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ U. q7 x& P) }8 v! ^. u> 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
( {) F: v7 q# F> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% }% W5 L% }0 s+ Z0 d! J4 u> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- H7 Y$ b( H. Y' \9 B6 E2 N- Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# K' d/ P& s( G* T" [4 e> Shay, run to third!'
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! j  o9 J" j' ^2 S> 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
$ j4 f6 Y5 X7 ^( c% c" H: Q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 S& C' b' t# |% W> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& [9 s. N& x- N% v! }) }4 {9 c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
- M+ y/ G5 |4 H- h$ Q> 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!
>
. X0 ?9 K% T' Y3 Z> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
' D$ T4 r% {* x6 V> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
" U) K; i' b( A7 Q5 i> 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
0 O1 {7 X4 Y+ M7 J$ t* ?% ]> '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
7 x% U' C* \  D7 }+ h8 y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* p0 L5 A9 \8 ~> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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% k1 K% u* H) G7 @6 x; i> A wise man once said every society is judged by
/ P; {) v& c# b5 C: _+ W4 W> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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- G- ?* K0 B! f> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
$ I4 l$ w1 D! g0 O8 l& E7 M> May your day, be a Shay Day.