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?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
7 [6 p1 Y' e- \1 P. y> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
$ Q+ T3 F" k! ]* E4 H( l> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
9 a6 @  t- G1 V$ G> staff, he offered a question:
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* m3 s2 w2 u# h( z# G% }0 f> '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
! ^# e, F) V' I; [5 R; s0 j0 v9 b> natural order of things in my son?'
>
% z9 c# e- L; z2 I3 `+ B) O> 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
> treat that child.'
>
" W+ k/ A3 {6 W: e% _* y0 ]# m> Then he told the following story:
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8 I6 @$ N9 C- l& L3 W! N> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. ?0 U# C6 v4 M* H2 N> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
  Y  {) ~% p) \1 A9 O' a> 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
; _: O- `9 L2 n, j> 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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- X% u6 l3 Z. z& 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
" A/ L& R% n) e5 h/ O> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 [- `! N& D7 u) p- J> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
1 w6 P. ~8 U  S3 ~/ k4 Q> 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
/ v. \8 J  V. N% u& r. E> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
; f' [: R* L! P> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
2 J1 l. H! Z3 U1 S; P/ v! z; j> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 A3 L$ m5 W# k3 n' `> 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
9 C# B) [8 ~, C% X) I> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
% y: S3 H8 f! g' Y8 G9 z) N> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
" f3 w0 ^: ]8 w# {9 F0 v> 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
> 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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" C4 L4 I6 Q- t2 W# z9 {> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. \4 R& a5 [/ H8 X> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
) c! V& c& W' ?& L* r9 x# ^> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
0 C% i- q  p; W+ S> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 E$ L; v  X) q- }> wide-eyed and startled.
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1 x4 _% D4 W! h, S( d" F8 N> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* t2 p/ _# u, J  ]/ Q; }> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 v& B- E  |% W/ F! g8 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
> 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,
# @2 L# y1 ~8 y0 t$ w) T> 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
8 k. [9 W3 i2 X# I' e> circled the bases toward home.
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( M" y. M$ |8 E> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
3 `  v  [7 A& g, X> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" ~- c  z2 S" b" u) e> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
: G% M- N" c( j! @% A# P> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 S/ L! @( o% O5 r+ r/ r! V' U> 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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6 L" C3 l+ ]% d6 o5 ]8 C( x, 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
> into this world'.
>
+ \( D% J" i. w4 l& D" L> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> 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!
>
> 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
, ~% j9 r8 c+ B! x3 _3 q# z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* q, V3 T) C- Y4 j> 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
  I: m( x/ B/ s( `# {1 k  T> 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
" [3 |" D  Z* `5 S, t5 T5 p> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 _& z# {5 M$ W# `> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
4 D# R' r. w5 K( O$ J" y- s# @7 {> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 j) N4 R+ a2 W" w& \  g2 J, r; S> bit colder in the process?
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$ a9 @5 n- D% ]. `8 G* ?2 K> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
. a  {8 e: d5 T; M8 C1 b> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.