Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. Z/ A) e; W6 J- ~( k- a" R% H3 c# z> 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
7 {9 ?7 x1 ]3 A  a4 O2 ]> same choice?
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+ f3 E4 J- u" i! H$ S> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; R) e0 N0 I: p% _) H4 Q" {> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
8 ]! z4 V  l- N5 X  i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 v( m3 d8 }1 u& g$ u. z> staff, he offered a question:
>
7 w2 l* ]4 T9 J4 W- |> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; r2 N6 b7 n2 |$ F, x5 D> 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
( ?$ H( H  n0 L> natural order of things in my son?'
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2 ?7 a* m& @7 L6 l, x> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: c0 d( z, V0 x8 L1 ~: v> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; w) \: _" Y' Y# a* v; R! e6 a> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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+ w! J# T- A) l, H2 a2 @7 J> Then he told the following story:
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& v, ]# t# d* \( E' Y> 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
* I: m' N) B, f8 P6 y> 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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- w* h0 K+ P( ~/ i- p1 D4 F> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 d, l$ i+ |6 V> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; Z' F9 Z+ a, o; ?7 P> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& X- G. ]9 u) H  I> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
8 U5 U& s/ J" I+ e> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* E' s' g: r" O. ^6 h> 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
* b7 E+ I0 r* Z6 i  ]> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 j' G6 T8 Y" a> 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
> 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
> 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
> 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
! c; C0 y8 P( H8 W! C# H0 C, Q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
& N% ?$ z3 p+ C2 ?. P- R4 _> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( @" ?2 A( ?4 ^/ w+ D( E' P5 F> 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
+ h0 N$ h) n2 _> 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
# O5 A5 J  ?: X3 m" M, y4 ]% h9 E> 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
> 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,
! P) S' O/ P% v. n2 t* v9 k* o> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
6 T+ R2 ~: O" {5 s6 X> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
& ?. Y, C( D& X8 v8 I% X+ G> circled the bases toward home.
>
; E: ^7 Y3 x1 Y1 u. `> 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!
" ~+ J7 V" c- v0 H2 {> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" T/ Y/ A2 m% Z+ W/ H/ K& S> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
; i. O6 [% B9 y3 J4 c/ O8 M% p9 V> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> '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
! B: n( e1 q8 m. M# ~> into this world'.
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> 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
& A3 R- G9 Y4 ]) R> 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
4 s$ T! j- q$ a, U- i- b. _( O> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
: N4 v2 Q6 ?" P" U* L: P8 Q> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: w; E& H8 S* V, ]> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
+ b0 L* g7 e. B0 z. l& _" s> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( o0 [# i) R. V6 n4 G) Z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! f1 _% U* U% i> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) `2 g& O( p% D  g- v' R9 U# a+ V> 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
, k8 X7 t0 b) Q( \> bit colder in the process?
>
6 ?0 C7 y! f0 m: U> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 |8 a# K) O3 p2 }: U" s> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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1 f9 q: g8 t1 I! a2 w5 Q5 q> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
6 q! K  ]" _* F; @( N' d> 2. Forward
>
, ^9 p7 D) {( p+ {5 `1 }> May your day, be a Shay Day.