Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
$ Z9 H7 Y) \+ n- y4 M4 |# w: u> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: O/ W7 M9 A! g9 N+ n: l> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
, ~# i, j. m1 u5 Q4 C3 R> 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
+ `. @5 B0 G: R+ i7 T" f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# I1 F  \' e" r" _6 \, p  W# D9 M> staff, he offered a question:
>
, j, k- [1 _4 K, G$ ^5 H> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 @3 X5 C: ~. d& f, T: ^> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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! L+ O  [% E/ C  |' n. Q> The audience was stilled by the query.
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. v3 j  j  |6 B& k9 y3 x> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! P( g+ g9 E$ v8 f9 r& x# D> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  ^! Y8 h# F% z/ Q# t> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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) y* J6 Y" V0 N; G9 C" |> 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
) H; V) `. a3 r5 N* E4 R' O0 l> 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.
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> 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
% U2 e4 X# m8 c/ R> 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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0 R* G: T$ H4 |2 ]> 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
" L8 j# m  @8 T) k> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, W/ s8 G, L4 Z$ Y8 S2 R( x2 l. O> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
2 Y1 p) x, O+ l6 g& Z& F> 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
% b) ~# a1 J! r* y> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  n7 V' J0 N0 G> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
  k% V5 d: c0 A! s1 m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
* L( i( K9 V9 t! Y8 a4 p1 \+ {- O> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) q- M: {2 T# o8 }8 m5 C> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
2 D; S4 r1 B: I* p0 l+ \> 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
& \: X' {7 [) V' v/ ?1 d& k3 k> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 u, ^, k  b# U1 r! h" L> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ I3 T# P8 _( V3 c" a> 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.
>
> 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
' k6 M# f# F, k4 f> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
- }, w/ i. F, d8 @> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ ]. `0 P/ P( l# A> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 p3 M- s& K2 c, g3 z( A1 _> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 g3 \  n5 Q7 H+ {0 j- |> 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
6 ?  M9 P# C+ ]! ~6 |> 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
6 M6 f6 ], t' K> circled the bases toward home.
>
& @2 e' P1 _3 a& k# `9 G> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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/ j; D; C9 t6 G> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! m5 q  d* c9 n* q$ w2 f) o7 J> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
$ N# L- W$ _$ @& N> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
: R3 H/ @! P+ Q  U* \( O9 [3 m& Z> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 N- F/ p/ M0 L+ j" O> '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
8 ]% z9 s  F6 q> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
- y- i) w! k* k> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 N2 g5 u, `7 Z1 J% N" L; a> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& U) v* Y6 t& l! ~6 c- x> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 G3 z; Y' V2 k' O> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 ]$ L  y. K: {1 W2 \> '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
% c6 \5 m; L# O+ |1 H. ]" I> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- F/ g* b8 ], f3 h* l> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
/ x1 |/ }  o6 d, s  l, L> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
9 L' K4 p9 N( L1 m0 h! E> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.