Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 ^$ h* S+ |, p9 h* F* K& e+ D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( c' {6 I, I6 T> same choice?
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, |  y' ?% U. S3 Y> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) z$ J1 I, B4 G" @> 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:
>
6 W6 _8 J1 R2 L$ {- {  _( ?$ D> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: |* D, M3 A- ]5 s7 G' c> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ V3 X$ ~# E6 c> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
) v; h& U* Y- N6 Q0 F* D$ k> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 N, m0 z/ D1 E9 u> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 f, [& A& W$ Y) n; w- [2 d! O! n> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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7 f# w$ ~0 T- P+ @( G- J> Then he told the following story:
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2 E! a% Q: q4 d+ F6 S* x> 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
7 q0 z% A" \% U; x: k# ^> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
- u4 f1 z+ E  ?0 \- U0 v% x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  ~# ~. U4 j% `+ P> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 b9 d  R/ N: b& A1 Q> 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
8 K$ L* h2 b  ^: f> inning.'
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& S  p/ G" b, M$ G> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 O- Y* f8 q5 ?2 g: \+ g> 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
. e; q, P; A( m  K> 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
4 e$ ]$ [3 I! p. r> 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
/ v: c- Y) e1 h& v' y/ J. l> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. E' A$ R0 l+ f* k8 }! r+ U6 f; _  @> 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
2 O! t6 V/ R: |> next at bat.
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, _5 f' l( b, F( A! {2 S1 F> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 g$ N2 q5 D/ W> 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,
  O" b8 P6 B$ ^3 G& ?6 v4 Q( `> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 D7 t: u6 [! {% M/ Z3 ?8 Z7 h> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' R( r# i% B3 i9 x6 [9 F5 f$ {& q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> 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
9 z1 ^2 ~: a* }4 J7 \! \4 E. o> right back to the pitcher.
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0 z2 ?* ~  G' i9 Q6 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
& @8 u7 K" R- ]; Z4 L  G> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
" t' B$ k' q" P" H; u. e> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ I+ ~. q" Y: `2 g3 F# {2 C4 z! P2 u> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: S4 m( I7 c$ I8 n4 t2 @: `0 p> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
+ o; {* }: }+ L. g& A0 e> 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
> 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
5 f9 C1 b7 w1 j! q: u$ d8 u> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
$ w! |) m: M2 H) e& A> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
  X/ B, L+ J( W5 ~& d1 e> Shay, run to third!'
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& S+ t/ C( j( H6 A: C> 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
1 @; I  g! E. E! \> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 G2 i1 e- F+ e: \3 n# V8 l> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( e$ q6 p* P7 V$ C+ b: n> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- q8 Y# T* j0 x  o> 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!
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> 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
% ~. m7 s+ w4 n1 L3 {> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ Z% D# ^7 U+ _) g/ z  V8 K> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
> '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
5 O1 p) e4 C$ z  t4 _# n* v. D: p0 A" ?> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  x0 ?, v' H/ I' 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ }. b( }' p- x4 Z: A, _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
2 ]- a5 i8 N! |$ B5 Z4 Z& Q> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.