Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- y; N8 [1 i$ J9 u7 @! O9 @> 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
: n; L6 M+ t9 t9 l; C, e. `> same choice?
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> 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
$ i- g. v& a' _" y- X' a> staff, he offered a question:
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2 p; V1 h5 h( \> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, _& q% \% r4 X4 w9 q) k, s> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 f5 {' d7 {% _' f$ H, u6 ]5 O> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: u& g( ]4 h( y$ j) u8 c> 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.'
>
+ X7 x( B$ S8 a0 j! e2 E> Then he told the following story:
>
! w2 C$ v2 ]- t. h> 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,
> 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
# y1 e* s; e) O: ^# \9 T  ]> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
6 Z' Q+ E6 `0 W> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. S# Z$ n! h' G0 y5 |% u( Z; ~9 M> 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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8 Q& G0 ]+ \1 A# x& r! J$ w> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) o* N/ j- |# R1 M> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
: t& V! X; W( i3 L: B# I2 h, _2 s3 \> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
% L; x$ i% Y( C/ F4 v> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 C3 x9 @! r9 R1 ?+ ?- L; d> 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
9 g3 x4 N$ P! o  u" Z, H; m  w> 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
* S/ B" N8 ~) j> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ v7 l3 m2 M! o; M/ j> 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
) I! p% {3 O! n  S, j' U> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: \! c3 G, a% t0 z8 g> 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
* l1 b- I. _) x> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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% b/ W- _' r5 E$ ?> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( [) {8 U+ X4 J: C; D> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
) k, l0 o0 s1 M7 H8 W> 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
> 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
" t2 k  l9 a% F> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
1 {$ @$ K) }6 J> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' @- o9 [$ j) k/ _+ g" L> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
7 ?, [* f4 j& {+ z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
, P  a; n' t, W2 R> 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
: ~, ?% E3 u/ n( U3 c1 L4 W> 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'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> 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
7 D- Q# n- P  p! B& V9 Z2 Y4 n" N> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
+ g& p& _/ p  s8 L6 s3 j% b> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* S9 e# K5 @: R$ B> game for his team.
>
  P" Q3 k2 f9 ?1 y) S> '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
' l) I6 w- Z0 s+ @& R> into this world'.
>
% I2 ^. |' [3 p% I5 |. v> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 G" a* g9 l( p( c; m% S8 w, y1 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!
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$ N) C! \7 J2 t> 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
$ B6 x' K3 _/ l> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
1 \" }) S3 W& Q# ?2 V9 K3 L>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> 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
; X) f, i; a- r> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
  y! O: U& E: H2 [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 o' }! f0 Z  q9 m' W; l, P* \  v> bit colder in the process?
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" O  [7 H0 U, {- X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  M4 ^3 l0 ]( I" }2 D> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 \$ z$ Y+ [0 u/ A4 ?3 @* S+ S+ K> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.