Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. c7 }% N+ k, y8 J: s$ e> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ ?7 E3 X$ O4 i$ Y> same choice?
>
! F1 a& j! _- \- u* f> 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
. L4 O% l8 F" X9 a; O> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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% c" y% G. v- a' v/ N: _> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* K' S' S! Z8 N3 a> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 q3 s. D. N/ C+ @0 Z. s! W, S> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
3 m) k7 D. e- x1 S; b% o. V& t# \> natural order of things in my son?'
>
  p' l5 g9 M- `$ ~& j> The audience was stilled by the query.
4 S' v! L) ~; X6 B9 A! K/ X>
! i, c4 d" K: a: h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 l4 T0 t) a% u/ [4 n> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ y4 n, J7 o0 x> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
' u/ v, Z; u$ d! T> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 ~6 K7 W" e( E, l. d. K> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
5 M8 D3 L4 f- t* W  A9 j> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
( d2 H8 X' a) M& k0 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
, i; g; z3 ^% }5 {& n$ `> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
- i8 ]* q3 }1 p) V> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
) h& q" h4 L- t- Q/ T2 u( f; \> inning.'
0 G. t8 N) v* ^: I" A9 d>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: U% ~6 G6 Q8 O% B+ R> 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
> 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
> 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
; [. E. ^8 F( x$ b> 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
$ A! T- ~4 c! M> next at bat.
>
8 @$ ?+ G# i5 T4 ^% }) P> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ g2 Q: R, L7 t1 ?/ N' ?> 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,
' {5 i, o& \( ?$ P; G, V> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, M. s' e* f' i% a: a3 ^> 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
' j! G2 _4 d* l2 _: Z> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# ]$ W3 w8 `" p2 Z; g> 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
$ m* Z4 y* @7 @" K> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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( L/ \- M( |# X> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 I9 m9 m) x, F# _> 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,
" g" M: f# A2 u0 m/ Z4 H> 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
5 [. }) l" q& r- N) Z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. @/ w/ ]* i7 ]1 `) Y& C> 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
1 `+ @5 W' e. c% W6 N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 l2 B, X4 p! t1 h> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
9 K! \& n- E5 U" S> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# r1 b" {; H2 [  u; |) x* R> 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!
>
$ P2 i) p" W7 L0 r7 e- u% K> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 _" F' y2 n9 W. a1 ^> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' C2 ?8 ~* t7 _* b  y  C> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ L  `- T& t" O, B' X: I5 m+ P> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
5 x5 ^% X9 e$ v: [1 }2 F>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; E8 N, ~8 l3 Z6 T> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# q9 E6 |% f! o0 T( j4 Q9 {& N( h> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( `0 C$ U. {# O+ `# [7 l> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" O9 k; F8 N  z) j* m+ n1 n7 W> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
5 K' x" s1 D( F5 L! ?6 k> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 u1 Z/ j7 q8 l1 A1 Q& a. v> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 p. A8 [0 y4 P8 L) T  a> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
# `5 G" h: l% a& Z( V7 Y' F> bit colder in the process?
>
% g, h9 f# l5 i1 |! s( I9 ^> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 f( Y+ V8 H" l/ }% O>
> You now have two choices:
  r% |/ ^8 X/ I; p; X" O> 1. Delete
, X; f7 x% @& X; l9 ^1 H> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.