Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. X: s1 V. T1 D4 I( A7 x> 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,
0 Q0 Z, U' B$ `) l3 F0 k# w' ]> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 N* d: x4 G; [% n0 x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
4 m+ R" j& D$ j- ]/ p% |> '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
: {) _1 ]; l: t0 u! d1 p! f> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 h: k0 r# I9 H( N! O! P> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; I' x8 N- }5 S: M& q7 }" i> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 n: |" h. @" r- n! V* @* W( W2 @> treat that child.'
>
- p: v3 N8 @9 P% t> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( o9 z9 s  r; h" }4 R> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 y& D3 O; O- h# p! w+ a9 q8 O% S> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
, ]0 g" x+ g- e8 i( a6 R> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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  W6 g2 u9 W. _/ @1 A* ?6 H( V> 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
  j" o1 ^( e" v; w# _> 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 g1 \8 r" C* y! V% R7 V& k$ D8 G/ T- C> inning.'
4 P2 _1 j. T$ c, w% i% p>
! j4 m3 ]6 i$ @> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! P9 h6 R) G  R> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; @% h. N" S( k$ b> 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
1 B  v; H+ v9 ~; K7 ]+ w> 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
) O- o# a! c8 J& v) [> 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
7 s+ h' C& P( n- w> 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
' @. @6 Y6 k' ^, X$ k/ |# S0 _> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; b. Q* Y2 W% G- p> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 C: K7 X" Y: L9 S7 s> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
, ~/ P% O) q, u: Y! E> 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
1 F; X" c4 @; P/ T, t: u+ R> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
$ b, S* Y+ a7 r, \* K0 s' h5 a> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
  i5 A+ f# t/ m) |- r# j4 ~> 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.
' [- k  d3 W8 U) r: K9 ^9 W) e# N>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
+ S; G$ M5 k1 [> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ v: A& p" T( h. i) A+ G# k> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 G- K/ X# r+ S7 w$ X> 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
* t' Z  g) A7 C# G> 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.
8 T# r/ i. I7 u7 \* ], g>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
! P6 r' [- V& l> 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!'
>
8 \( J- T1 E- d* l: @> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ O. b" |+ y9 u+ c4 D> 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
> game for his team.
>
+ v: r; g8 I4 W+ B> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! l" }1 A4 `. [( [- r4 ?! O> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
4 U+ ?& x$ g) o) k7 n2 Z+ D2 u0 C>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. A# ^( E* e6 U& [" A> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% ~1 Z) M# R2 l% P> 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
2 f# X) W6 F) f: F/ f/ a. Y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  z" W7 o* u* g& R> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
8 l+ H/ ~, Q: @9 w> '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
> 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
8 J5 L$ c* n1 x+ t$ i> bit colder in the process?
>
! h- T4 r% R  w/ t6 j% E4 }> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
! C5 B" a' t6 d# a% A/ v! a/ w$ c> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.