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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( `" Y& Y3 o+ ^# }- {> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 w( ?8 P# }. ~# ^7 ?# t> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 ]1 g' e) h) I> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
9 \; `, a& Q. ]  E) `" _% l4 J) j> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& i( ]2 h. R) ?/ ]5 r> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 R( }3 h3 r. Z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# G7 ?- I3 h, o! S; }. w; t> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; {3 A' L& Q4 h( p> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
- K/ {  P+ D& ?8 A> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) g% \+ t6 m8 m! N( E3 ^# C> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
6 Q& \0 y0 z/ S9 I3 H% I* X+ v> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
9 E& A+ X$ A( N% N* u> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
, Q' r7 O+ n- C, z. O% i. O> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
# ^  i7 n- B! D7 T0 n0 e> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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. g/ \9 {% l/ o0 |> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 \3 [5 r3 B% y& |2 n. H* p, q> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> 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
9 p7 d% ?$ s5 ?4 k! j> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* }5 E+ t! A  }> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) Q4 Y# s  V" k; E, o' D> 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
' V$ K* d2 A4 Q> 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
" ]8 r. `$ j/ R/ `) Q1 c> 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
# `: m8 E8 ]- o; U6 c. m> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
4 n: c* d. F, N8 y> 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
/ k0 Y  q* F# L0 B+ f7 m> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
& X! c4 k: p9 I6 {> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! i, c: E" ?# T> 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
( u: s  l5 R9 W; t% p6 u: Y1 r> right back to the pitcher.
>
% ~% t) e& W' I  l4 P* ?% t4 L* d5 I$ y> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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6 r: k9 j" B  R8 f$ g0 a> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: T: X( `1 k' @> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; H* u3 P( |$ j& n( Y> wide-eyed and startled.
5 p0 d0 A" {$ K5 e  b>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 `% b# T& X% s; P3 S# i) _% g# z/ c> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 `2 t8 z$ Z$ H> 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
! |; X0 Z$ c7 W/ }) P- c0 M> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
& }( d8 r. w9 f+ o- Z, d> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
  r) d  P- C5 Q( b0 n5 E> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. w; a2 S6 x5 m7 F4 y7 d> circled the bases toward home.
>
/ z9 G3 W$ K8 h* e4 L0 b> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
, v3 _+ e) w) v# M> 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 z! a4 J) T% ?- s4 a6 ^0 @> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
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2 g3 p# c+ f  g% X$ ^> 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
1 z/ x9 T, @9 f, v7 m; k> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
' E& o7 M1 u! A( S: r% q) i' O1 V> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* \" ?; \9 h* v" a8 ]( |* @> 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
1 q4 s! o3 S1 W& A. _6 D> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
6 D1 j) D" L/ ], R6 F5 a>
3 F/ L+ p; y; i5 {/ m> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& V/ T1 r7 U( t# Q' n- u- X> 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
* z+ P6 D8 B/ }) K  k> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
/ Z5 a- \5 p$ O> 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
, M: d- g6 T  Y2 {> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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/ X9 j- i2 Y, h; U8 d% V) |> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 ~4 d) i( C7 @8 l0 ^' q! X! |>
> You now have two choices:
5 _( g5 p8 n: p; g6 K5 }> 1. Delete
# d% L2 j* c; |> 2. Forward
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9 c1 t- h7 k1 H' E- z; _> May your day, be a Shay Day.