Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
" L& @" ]! M; c9 C: L7 c> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% t4 W" f- \$ K> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
0 F# x# C  u+ c% K2 T& U; z> 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
/ c; p8 Q2 }- L  M5 X> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 x" I% p! S: `$ r; F- V5 W" D1 F> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ f& F- n' `2 b* X: R0 m9 c> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ v$ \7 J* g4 ]& l6 u% P> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, B5 J4 l: \( L8 R  N$ X) K> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
3 A; t5 ^" v2 l> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  j9 |$ r# h) t: R- l7 b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( \: l. \5 U$ V' P> treat that child.'
' x! |' Q; b, [6 C' [( g7 v>
> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
( j$ u/ D6 B5 J! L; q+ X+ f> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
9 u7 W. f& Z2 W2 J> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
: Z: s" j! T& K# k6 N" f> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
6 T& [1 m. ~, A9 R; T' R; [7 t> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 ]' v+ a* J: c6 [7 b# u0 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& U/ {; R$ I' V7 e> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
5 b7 w( x$ G- t  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
: q) ^, [6 h0 i6 U, C! {' i3 N+ n> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* K8 O. N* D5 J6 [8 b# J> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
4 `/ o: f. ^- d3 S" M> 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
/ w9 ~+ ~5 E6 a* A7 g4 N& n9 A> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
. V  q# P8 V4 j+ G2 G- e+ Q3 e> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
4 Q6 X0 H$ j' e- _0 d; t- m( w& j> next at bat.
>
+ x7 X0 g1 L; Z9 h; p7 z> 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,
. s5 v4 K& ?+ o. `* P) ?5 Y+ F> much less connect with the ball.
0 |- L- I* Q3 r$ b! g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 A3 }5 `2 u" o/ p> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
- e) b" ?4 @3 w" M% F( r4 V$ ^> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 X: M( Z8 V" s> 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.
( g2 b( F/ Z0 m  e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
. ~: }" j/ f2 z3 F> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. `- q' m" J9 w$ w7 z* ]) Y5 K> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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' @; \  C$ D6 N+ }9 Y7 p! E& j> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 g" X3 z' V. y> 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
( o7 t2 h: }& G3 G/ M# o) f7 V> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 p7 g! _9 {- d) H' G8 K4 [, d> 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
. v3 `9 V) Q; |! O- ~' X> circled the bases toward home.
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+ T$ P( {. y/ G% J# V& B> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
5 n7 K* j. L1 j4 F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& S  o1 c/ ~; c. O- T> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
4 V" [. ^7 B+ _2 k$ X4 ], O$ }; H  D> 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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8 B9 i- J& m7 G6 e8 {* L> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 }8 O" h! {1 I/ A! Y2 z> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
2 E! F& S4 e5 c7 x- j* y  z2 r7 b; S9 V> 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
% i" V4 g# s' `- m& e> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
; p% E! r5 u4 ~7 o3 p> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( h5 Y8 f2 |0 S3 k> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
# _) ?0 ~# h! D  ^# v2 ?" X, N8 d> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! K3 X8 B* Z; |1 Y, Z: A8 V5 f> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ P6 |  y" E- b% C7 ]> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
' Z7 E+ _$ {) |( _- L> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. i4 U, @5 K% ^5 u1 O> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
  Q! P/ U9 d, W4 }> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
) i( r8 q6 h% x3 B7 U: G( N> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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( E+ n, I3 S* [2 k$ L> May your day, be a Shay Day.