Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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3 v$ e/ X  X6 @3 A" @) L> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( C6 z# C; z0 o& \6 B8 ^> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; I' R; }& a' I6 C3 n> same choice?
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" S: W2 M9 {* c: Z$ f; q9 s6 v4 _" e> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ ?. @3 D; C. M) ~" M9 E. y9 L> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
4 _8 b" m+ s7 ~, j# ~> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 Z- v% Y2 R: I% x& e+ U, p: Z0 N9 O1 r> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ w, Z' ]. z/ D1 h# f9 f- t> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 S7 c! y7 d; D( D2 S> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
- \* P8 c! @2 l5 N> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
& F8 M# D" {1 V- g6 {> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 Q. Y$ A! S/ ?> treat that child.'
>
8 `" K" {% d! G' L: W8 C2 P/ S> 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
8 i* m) h, h9 Q* D. h6 k0 ^6 _> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
6 l. @  L9 b3 d' K7 C0 a; _> 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,
4 o1 G: B! _) c) A7 z+ s> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ a& q2 ]' h) o> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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) }8 i* W& ~1 E/ N! J> 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.'
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7 J$ }$ ?# H0 q( w6 `2 D7 b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) e2 K5 w3 ^) k( u> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
0 X  |& C0 e/ B4 D6 `% S> 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
% h( o' N) L- i" w> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
& S' g) U5 x9 p, d$ ]> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, G( M4 f7 J' a6 j9 ^> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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9 S3 U) f* l0 ^0 W% [1 J8 D! 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,
. u9 G( _9 g  Z$ K$ v) V( }> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! i5 e6 z8 k( T) D* }> 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
> 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.
1 H7 W1 g2 I. z4 a8 q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
8 V( l3 b- e6 T; L" ]8 q0 ]> 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.
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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
> 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,
# j& K! n3 b+ ]' U/ k> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
* W0 w; G3 y/ K. `9 b: L* ~4 a> 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
( O$ q% b) P/ H: N# B1 S> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. @, \4 U+ q9 Q: B* E; I> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
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> 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
> 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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5 e  D- E8 J4 h% E> '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
2 i+ M3 D) w" s0 e> into this world'.
>
4 n! I$ e; {* T9 S2 h> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" e: V7 r5 v2 W0 ~) \( T> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
, B" ?2 O9 Y: a> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
3 y. P) l3 g  A1 R! h+ ?> 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
3 P& N  n, G% N% E0 c! K, |# C> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; k3 f+ a% w( U9 o+ c> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% T+ x$ t- F  M  @1 y/ e+ _> 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
5 V, M) |* h( F4 f) I> 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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/ f- [/ u4 f* s( `4 p# ~> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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8 U3 J1 s" K& P5 z1 \; q( p: K> You now have two choices:
6 H  S7 u9 ~5 b7 P> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
  p( ^+ t/ ^  F0 _* Z> May your day, be a Shay Day.