Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 }7 D- `  z% o, ^0 P1 \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; v- e% g+ U# c, A5 o> same choice?
* u8 m6 E8 U# G>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) V5 ^8 ^7 I4 k1 ?( a0 Z> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) G4 n2 [7 W2 f% N5 d> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
: B' J/ s' V' O5 r! K7 T3 [> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# I% u4 z1 D  S4 x6 _> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 d6 y* |1 a. B0 |! X" `> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 R4 |3 j5 R& M" J9 _> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ s9 f# o/ o* X2 {: v7 x0 p' K$ S/ Z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& ?' h$ n) {( K  i' \( L" Y) W> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
+ n1 g; X/ u% |2 B( l1 s& F' R>
6 z$ S- j( I9 `1 y6 t> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; z! Q$ Q  a. ?2 a3 T- \> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& t) |) A# e) Q( U6 A> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
8 u7 B4 A% w& j3 y& K> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) Y9 y/ U: p1 Z: c2 e' Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
9 I0 Z. d6 [' {3 g>
7 s- C- `7 Z" E* M2 h2 }& N  e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% q: _# }: i9 n> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
+ n. O8 F& x9 ?& L0 L> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ i( s! k% S* `% ?  j> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
! r8 g' Z  t. Q- `9 H# S) z> inning.'
>
1 f4 G, K5 N' |, }: q> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 ?' A. F4 T5 Z, ]9 F, s# m/ B5 u> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 G6 Q! @, u# K$ n' J/ X% o0 L> 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
6 }: E& t: d3 D% ]7 F* Q8 L8 S> 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
1 q1 _- V7 Q/ {, i3 X> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" R; J8 X# }1 `$ x> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
' b% H4 C! l7 R1 T6 p. r- B> 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
> 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
* W% R+ M' K  N5 a! d" ?> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ l0 L; ]6 C, n2 j5 M> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
8 f0 p, l  }% Q2 U; j1 o+ ]> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; Q9 e3 {  X2 y' j7 k5 y. T7 P, V> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
8 K0 ]+ W7 I% y, q6 j$ t7 d# ~5 B>
8 ?' y0 W& Q# U( K> 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
& Y: m* m% S1 L, @4 l( ~> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 R* Y* M% g+ L) S: Z/ D> 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
$ m7 J) J% G6 x; J8 c6 @3 l! @> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
/ b: \6 @, {: K, ^, ?+ M>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 z- o) \8 |4 `2 n  Y> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
* l7 R) q/ N7 f/ h9 n. P>
5 l) y, A1 I+ R> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
0 x, T! {; h7 v- c+ w5 o! [7 ]6 h>
> 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!'
& l; I' q0 u  u- \2 X. A>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' w% A7 t! v% u( T0 \' n- ]> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
: P9 f1 I- _0 P6 {7 U4 C> 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
4 j$ ?0 B% T: F) N: t+ ?> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
7 M% G+ V; ^! U5 M# ~; d  t> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. [. }9 l/ u3 h7 i- k" H3 U> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& P3 g) W+ w7 T" S8 N; g> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
7 ~. d+ z" M& P' O, q) q7 f  m> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  l, P: k4 j: C  E- S  s> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
# Y. U2 |! ^, @7 C>
0 W$ S; E8 h3 r2 p! q/ @$ R> 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
  c! x; [: X; b6 A% p, r# \) N> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
9 D$ e8 y( B/ p0 i/ u+ s& n% J> 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
2 Z* Z3 z" N( H> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
) H' }2 y, P8 b8 n3 S> bit colder in the process?
# z; h9 Z" ]2 Y" f+ \7 w>
/ @% x9 g+ M+ F8 h0 }0 h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ E+ n! _& ?5 I3 I7 M> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
, J# a3 S8 H* ^& A' Q0 E% Z8 h> 2. Forward
1 P8 y3 h9 N& @* ]+ K- s>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.