Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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; Z2 m3 J2 M3 o& W+ i> 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
) q% a/ A2 J2 C3 X  H4 B+ p- B> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ ~. h( K" u& d& j  Q. l> 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:
>
9 I! @% ^7 f9 @! V> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 ^9 D0 x' q1 ^9 P' u% w> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, K. X. X. I1 r$ [9 `5 F+ l' O7 V> natural order of things in my son?'
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! U; G" q9 |) m) b  j6 T> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
: ]3 ^4 K- ~9 V> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
) f, Y, I9 }6 x3 J& L& M! i* c> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ j& t5 X3 P4 F> 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,
4 a* k2 K) y3 s! {2 _> 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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2 j. {$ u) u1 q> 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
( U+ [# z' i: a+ a> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; z- [% o4 N! @0 e/ t7 J9 J& j0 Q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
% x* D2 H( L- T% z" h# v- f# b> inning.'
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> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
( d$ f$ J) s; `1 g> 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
8 Q- ~" Y6 j0 I; ?" m2 F> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: E! F! _  h4 ]> 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
& i% B- R/ B$ t6 r2 G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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9 K! J4 g$ T8 A8 Y) W5 j; 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
7 |2 {  R6 e: y" f$ g8 A> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
* h4 L: u/ `+ E/ B+ x> much less connect with the ball.
% v% j2 @5 L4 T' D& e5 u4 @- a> 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
1 u" O, B: F9 X3 a. `& c> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
: v3 {. f5 }# _> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 ]" m1 U/ e) l& G> 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
1 v; r% h( }; t7 O1 W, Z4 }* k  o1 U> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. }* M7 D+ L' S7 j4 X- ^! H; L> 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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& Y  a& {# y# _8 b5 |1 h: b. G; W, k> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* e" d' p, s5 h' p. R> 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,
# u7 m$ v9 S) f  ~3 o> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# z$ N9 o  t4 [2 W> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ ^( O4 W, E0 i  @6 E. i, q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 }! a0 }2 Y* G2 {# z" ~> 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
( D9 X) z1 W' T7 N- y/ s> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- n; a4 j, J2 E" V  \> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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4 f+ z5 X, a2 I. h  Z7 H7 C  i> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) u: }% N" A, R" z, {* L, U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
. T- W4 n3 y5 w+ F" k3 E8 @3 O> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' K/ g* k8 a/ d; L7 i5 P> 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
" i% \9 i3 g' _; a> 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
3 [5 \' w6 K) p) y  S$ \- h: b, x> into this world'.
>
> 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
( Y& E& S2 a9 F- M, W  d3 r1 \" \1 y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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7 K7 l6 F  c- o5 M> 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
7 A7 Q6 _" S% `, I' k> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
9 s0 O; W7 O% c2 V' f* I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 z7 a8 F/ K  a# q  Z( A- }3 u> 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
1 E% b; {& N6 O! F0 Y1 @> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
' c# I$ Q6 S: P4 q" V& @( b> '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
# K8 ?$ E3 q4 z$ f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 g2 M+ f  p$ w1 o3 Y> 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
' Z4 S# ~" k: l> 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
* T  ~. T# X  e5 P: d> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- [0 `" y0 ^& o4 Q> 2. Forward
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* ]  i- J" d  r- [% u& S* s! l> May your day, be a Shay Day.