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
# w* \( a& I# s* z7 g7 D> same choice?
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" u/ `. J/ N8 x6 P! @, v> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
  ~+ F. y8 u1 k, G2 s5 h. [> '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
+ b% h* `" g$ \6 a: G, Y1 e% r, A> natural order of things in my son?'
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7 j1 n( n1 M% k( M8 J# a) k9 K> The audience was stilled by the query.
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" l0 n2 h4 u" d7 |, h( @2 Y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  z& A* h2 X6 ?* Z  f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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& R8 D& Q3 ]* c> Then he told the following story:
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7 r: g" f0 g: n> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: T1 @+ X0 J) j  N& U/ p$ `8 v1 d- V> 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
1 ~. J2 S* I8 B> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 D: e3 l  ]) S% Z+ H' _> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 |. d  q; R9 M: C# t- D> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
8 t9 U0 G8 D0 Z& E7 F5 t& O: C! D> 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
* N: J4 B2 V& `: {2 U7 W! Z> inning.'
>
# |; z8 P: Q( M" p( B6 Q4 p> 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
: _! u# M% u9 L. S> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
7 r$ O/ c' n2 P- r> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) t$ v4 a9 O  g  e' J. p$ K9 c4 x> 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
# c" g5 ~( q: P/ S9 ^' o> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& D3 P5 s0 I- J5 N% l) Z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
2 y5 |& ~! `$ i" c, l/ \  y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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+ f4 ?- E, O: y* A> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" ?9 I1 Y* k/ X) J- F) z& Q8 ]> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; I  C2 B* e/ m2 f& z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
. i9 {" [/ m1 t/ G' v> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ I' H6 |2 K$ s( e) X> 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# w1 q4 H" N* h8 C2 K; i6 e> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
1 }. p& q! `3 x+ x8 G> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
7 x4 w. }; }3 C> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 k9 g8 H& _4 Z1 k> 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
: n; M% ^) Q' h' v' S> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ v9 \9 Z4 s9 Y  B> 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,
% u5 \7 Z2 P# L( e0 W$ m> wide-eyed and startled.
>
- Z$ I% c6 U; N8 B3 a. Z& T9 N! b> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
' X$ p4 Q0 B1 E* a. h0 l> 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
> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- \4 l5 H0 o' c! ^> circled the bases toward home.
>
* T( H( w" Z7 M* {> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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1 r7 g+ D- C* e  Q2 T9 E> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 q# c7 G. I) a* r  [! ], }( B$ T0 R> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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$ B" E) M, W) j4 }> 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
+ T3 v6 F- f# H> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 |1 ^; [6 s5 Q& p, S> game for his team.
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* D4 z0 f. S, [% ~% q: k& X> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
/ K8 S, e! S/ W4 J& a> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
% P; r- A, z1 |0 \> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! T. J& v3 E. m  g> 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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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 S$ e0 ^* {( e8 R> 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
; j! F+ o: @/ h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 L) s" g" [! i4 R; H> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
/ ]3 O1 H2 N4 f* `  z; c> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
; M' e6 Q* }% a" R: a> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; b- h$ h! d( Z, f  J, t) f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" X; j' E0 _, |+ T> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
9 p  K1 P8 T# S$ G( A, X6 n> bit colder in the process?
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/ ^: d" W, k2 u6 M" i" P! S> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. e( i6 l3 c# R0 J+ `, {> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.