Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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2 L; B! ]1 u& }/ ~> 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
! v# {2 J7 e9 J( F. ^; b" m> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 D6 F7 E6 g; G- B, M6 l$ p( {> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) N& l' L  D3 v( Z, D> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 H9 P! s+ D$ t& x> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- g' _' V! ~( a4 E# T& D! b> 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
. e7 L$ i; A/ ]* i> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( r+ A% Y/ F. U0 R: O> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 G* {9 \) J" h, H4 S2 [> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& b4 b, ?, n# h9 J8 p> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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' [/ ^; I1 g4 r1 {> Then he told the following story:
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" d1 Y  F( L; q  X1 p> 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,
- U' D) A4 \' a  ~2 M# Z3 [& s> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ i$ O; x* B& R/ T( j> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" l7 ]2 [( c+ j0 X$ h% b% D> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
" ^' a$ b/ z8 @, M* O5 m8 _/ e" B> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
$ H/ t. X, F1 [# G  E> 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
2 }3 E& [( C# X% b' {: g> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
; i3 c5 R) ^0 B3 G3 \/ d, 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
> 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
> 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
> 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
9 m( M, f3 K: `5 s> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. U8 Y7 S. I7 F$ r9 _5 |/ s9 m9 r> 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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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 Z+ z& ?5 E4 m$ }> 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
$ K, S+ M4 M1 R- B3 c' q' m> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) ?* Q4 \: q5 b% X0 @) i: D> wide-eyed and startled.
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/ X7 m1 e* c7 R7 O9 ~4 Y, f# @) `6 z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, d- x& N* u' U# j> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 ?# H+ g7 b8 \3 Z0 P" n0 `> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ A% e  D( l, ~> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 R& F4 f* l3 H; r% |% l> 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,
: Y* y! D9 p& |3 m0 k/ @! p- l> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
3 f" B* T: u3 t> 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'
>
; G6 _4 C. R2 |: A6 P6 H8 p> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; I- o1 T, x$ ?2 t! m" a> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
7 [8 o* f7 l. ]# C" F6 d> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 a! _% `* ?: M2 k7 A1 l- ~7 z; F0 @> 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
" a( K  N- T$ o+ Z> into this world'.
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' [$ O/ W* o: D0 l4 _> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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1 q9 N( G4 c2 A) _& \' I6 Y+ w) ?> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
! r. T- ?; q5 t> 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
8 b( T: P7 Y1 H+ _# r/ q# }> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* ^. s; m/ ^8 [: D1 n, i& D$ w6 i$ a> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
0 E" d$ @) u' o% {) v* H> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
3 o2 o/ K2 e2 p9 i) Q/ J; Q> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
  F: x+ \9 ?8 H3 f* g> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 k* H7 g& d3 f4 g2 _6 H- h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' s* d* L' N' x8 L% f4 {8 X> You now have two choices:
1 i: c. u/ T# F& l7 ~; O! N& S5 G> 1. Delete
* u8 t  k9 h: r! y: }9 u2 x> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.