Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ c+ C: r" x3 M$ G( {> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ Q, D  M. R, h4 Q2 M8 a9 E, Y- H> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ ?3 ]) ^1 U# C. _. c* [> same choice?
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( D! e7 K/ E' F' s- m4 C: i> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" D+ e4 b1 n) }; }' _> 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:
>
4 U( S2 S% p* i4 \4 w' A> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 b- K5 g: i3 H6 r, x> 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
7 t# E6 O* N4 e' ^/ p> natural order of things in my son?'
>
, T+ |+ A' x; \) e8 ~, Y8 n) ^> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
/ A9 `7 P" X% m) a: f% V> treat that child.'
>
# }4 {8 s, ?# N' c! u# H> Then he told the following story:
>
; J1 t) w' S- t+ Z5 [+ D& a- a> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  R. _* I8 D9 E- {1 V) N5 R> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
0 ^, P, N* T7 U' J0 N1 E5 e, g> 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,
: X7 z, t2 {+ t: X. o> 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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) S0 x/ ]6 F. g! M7 E  K> 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.'
>
+ x6 }9 Q  `4 \9 `2 I' w. b2 `> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& s0 {( y, s$ w; G3 |> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
2 U* H7 l, ~% s7 I/ y  u1 u4 F' s> 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
> 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
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; J  \5 W1 k2 X7 E' |5 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,
' S" ~: s, t+ }  C2 k' v; v+ l; ]> 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
> 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
& D- o% f( D' C1 M> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
/ U9 ]) B: M7 F3 A> 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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) }4 M8 N0 m; p% h4 m> 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
" f5 t6 {$ Q8 o! M1 ?) o1 w& ]. v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
1 m- w' o5 N; ?+ E6 w" w( u4 s> 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
4 z& O$ l$ `1 b: J; N> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: _& Q2 T% A4 R2 X> 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
9 R, {' _* k  M, G$ z- X  g* k> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. C' P0 W2 \3 e  r; e; z4 w> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 F  t8 o9 r- P# R5 {2 E> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 R5 L, ?3 D$ Z! l% j* n> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
& i! Y# l" r( ]" L" k2 |> 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
0 b) Z7 _, b8 z' T& u/ v+ _) m> circled the bases toward home.
>
4 I/ e2 C7 o1 K# G( N7 N> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
2 d- U' Y' Z4 r- [/ y' x4 v8 R> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 i3 N- p/ R! X1 I- @; l' O> 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
; w7 p) l1 C& M# @, y- G  v! ?4 L9 N> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
: H! Q# @6 S5 k> 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
+ q# f3 D& c. G> into this world'.
>
5 t' T3 J' H9 A: f> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% [; V* _4 X- A6 f> 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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) S& O6 l7 t. a  j> 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
( L& f# b7 S9 B/ x9 T% m> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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/ s* V: {5 @  I. U> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 R2 R0 z+ s# m, D$ I$ s> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 g0 i: V+ K% ^> '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
2 g: H# F! k8 }9 y; r" x> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 o! W( A6 o0 |" i> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 L1 Q* L! S! f# S! k$ Q  z> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
7 b# i6 W3 U& y" e6 N> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 ~6 k1 x1 k: [3 b. O0 r5 f; F> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
4 e9 Y2 k" Q; L3 {7 v& ], _! D> 1. Delete
$ b- ?) E! T1 p/ p# k, g; I4 K> 2. Forward
>
' I, R# S+ Q2 `+ `> May your day, be a Shay Day.