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?
>
) d3 P* U9 k  t7 N5 h0 n, X& t$ N> 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
% U5 ?, n4 Y7 O1 I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 F! I6 v* j9 ~# z* ]; w7 M> staff, he offered a question:
>
' W. F1 f+ }2 f- }* Z0 {$ ]( {> '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?'
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7 d. p" H& Q+ M: l+ n> The audience was stilled by the query.
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% s( y+ S0 l$ M6 D' h% m7 R> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: I+ d" K1 ~* @/ g/ D" S$ T> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, s( z! t8 X: T0 h# `7 S) Y> treat that child.'
>
+ U9 k2 N$ E6 D7 A> Then he told the following story:
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2 D/ K* t* A& k" Z( Z' f' H> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 p( Q- q! J' f+ v( _' `1 `> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# K; ^0 V" X  r& M' O. c> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> 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.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 R, o) `* @7 A, ~. i& q8 g. ]> 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
0 ~+ ~% G' P# y0 i> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 x: z; j3 G5 h: \* ~! J1 t, M> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 T& T4 b+ A" P; ^6 G> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 m  _2 u4 f, F3 e. ^/ M& G8 U> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* h5 s. g2 Y4 B, ~9 ]1 m> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- L0 e# D* o# z3 s  S$ c% _> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 m6 |- d0 U( D4 O" m" s, O9 a/ w> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 R) S2 A  {! J& X2 k$ J> 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
, P$ j. b% a$ s8 i0 q! _3 Y0 k0 s: `> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
7 A$ T! i: @1 a; {: B> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> 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
* [' J9 x; k; A8 ^' n> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
2 c$ X6 A* x; R# c> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; x+ f5 ~0 a; U9 E( t5 o! ~; `> 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
5 t% R& e: J8 I> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) \" ?+ u' b& b) K+ J, b% _: 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 Q* ]" M/ ?: U- s> 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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> 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
- Y$ o% k% k* ~! E9 ]# c> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( O) t( T& o; n2 S2 X" ~> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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0 |2 ~/ O- J  ?# s/ p( o' C. y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ p- k! ~' E8 g( N% n> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ T, ]* q! ?. z' c% S1 t> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
& v, X3 B) D" s9 m> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
5 d- j: a# W4 M, E: E> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
6 x! \# l+ ]2 c; x> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 O- G, V- X# e9 {. v0 o; s4 i4 b> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 Z0 _! c- Q/ [  O0 V8 \2 p> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
4 n* q9 h$ M6 }1 f/ [, H> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
" \7 O' Z$ W$ w% B  b- ?> game for his team.
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# i- ?( u0 p' b  o) Z+ V> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 }- I' ~% ?' p! ~$ n7 z# c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
& `% w3 @9 e5 _2 q* n, l0 V> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 g, V3 G4 D- h0 k" c5 O6 v$ j> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" s0 }) M, @& s" \' }  v> 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
: [" k' I* g/ i5 H4 s> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& e! Z* B, }+ a& y& F, V> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
( S: j7 ]5 l! n' O' G1 q) k> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 a7 G6 f( d  I" |> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; k" }& Z: U- J$ E7 w  H  }> 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
( w* E( i: d" o6 \( G> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.