Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
1 Q! z2 C  P- l4 g! l> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 d. C. w, T3 ~4 a, s1 g# e> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
5 k) v; J; ^# l' [> same choice?
>
  K8 g; ?3 B& K- }* G4 @> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ z; I4 {1 S% T) ?+ V> 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:
; }' ?0 E% m$ H6 Z: n" P: Y- ?3 v>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 M0 ]3 B3 T! o( D> 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
" c2 F+ \/ g9 h- x+ U> natural order of things in my son?'
( I9 U( f6 ^8 ^2 L0 s, N" A>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
+ M5 V/ d4 o. o4 X0 Q* y& t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& N+ g% {3 A; _; {> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ [8 N. a7 H/ z' B& e1 J- P, ], u> treat that child.'
3 D3 i/ `6 g7 n* k* g; _>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# B7 v  ~7 s5 }% J7 X5 ^> 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
8 J. t8 A# b0 [  p> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; l, N' y' e' o8 m> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) [7 `. ?" T, M* Z' @> 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
> 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
. Q' R0 H# r* y* V6 f4 h" U> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
: R$ W0 M( H% u+ w# P$ l, `> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
, o2 v$ Q5 j, L' m> 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
- r) E, z. i  B/ l> 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
6 [& B6 J% q! |0 O. V. b6 p! t; H> 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
- E- v) R* }0 I) C> next at bat.
3 E2 c! n' s0 d9 p0 `0 o; K>
# ?: p" Z* S4 Y# O> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ c, T3 d9 }. z8 [. d> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. P7 y( v# p4 \: l0 |6 b) }> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
" ^8 M8 \1 U, o  }5 J> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 ^1 v8 T- y3 w> 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
+ K8 R: w1 _2 H& F> 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
$ k3 R1 X( w0 M  h# B. Q3 Z! c+ H3 N> right back to the pitcher.
5 u8 O$ Z6 [/ ~* j4 y% y& l+ S>
! V/ g3 s% p7 |% y7 H> 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.
/ w8 e& ~! y( X5 v; 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
& G! ?6 M4 s& {) ]' N4 U% `1 ~> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
" M3 Z4 u/ R# R% v$ 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
+ R; y/ S! i+ n1 o, c* Y. j> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
6 @' u8 o: {% f6 B; b6 @$ L( X3 f> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
+ b& {- B( ~* O9 Z* y, o1 e9 s( D> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> 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
1 X/ M; L5 w- u8 ]8 \# B& Y: @> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
7 t& o* E" H& j; U* C& }: D> circled the bases toward home.
. p+ E, F; ?5 X6 B! `/ I>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
% C  M5 J4 Q0 t; M. a0 m>
> 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!
) x& Z5 a( g* o2 R7 s2 K> Shay, run to third!'
# g. B. a4 m% P# R2 O! G7 _$ ]>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) B  N. e) O+ m+ \3 c> 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.
( D: ?, X) C$ W# }1 l0 `& Q>
) E4 n( q+ p$ |" u# l> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: F" R6 l8 c" B9 b/ e* [8 k> '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
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
+ h4 _+ t8 y# K+ [+ [- Y, U6 M3 u> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
# T- B9 j; H$ T/ b> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' P/ X: h) k% f! v& x4 V( p> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
' T: @% P, z0 Z> '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
0 X3 H: H( U. w6 {/ L2 A/ @3 V1 ]> 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
" j( h4 u5 S( r$ f: l% u> bit colder in the process?
: u- P) y5 G1 ~. U5 T7 `8 s>
> 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
> 2. Forward
. C3 d; u' W3 M( _* H8 w# x0 v>
* }$ w8 }: R) T: \; _9 v> May your day, be a Shay Day.