Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 e! r, l, L; Q2 N* x) h$ U> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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3 _- w: p4 N: \7 r> 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
0 g  v9 j# o8 g" g4 F> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' A$ `. ^- w% N: O> 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
0 m9 Z) z7 D1 ~  [! C! b9 ?9 k2 t> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 @; p& V: T. s' _/ j> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  m3 E9 |8 m2 i7 t> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
/ r, {( l  z$ ^4 N* ]! V> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
4 r' u% j8 Q! i  F6 q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  |! V' R4 c. x, t& f> inning.'
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3 r. d% o# I, f3 \9 c: y, P2 b% J> 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
. a0 ]4 A+ Z2 o; A2 f> 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
% P1 i5 f6 i1 H$ s( y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
6 d1 O4 P1 v0 T> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 J/ O" A$ W& W" T5 X6 }2 S> 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
3 R$ K$ @6 m9 }> 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
9 r# ^  f4 m2 R3 E> 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,
( J5 a" T; K  N" K( s> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% Z' c* c- m5 B9 Q> 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
8 l3 E' R7 O. G( n! H1 Y> 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
6 P4 J) f: p. }0 g& f; T. m> right back to the pitcher.
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4 y$ u0 j1 e$ m- e9 p5 [; e& ?& V> 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
" u6 f$ S5 u6 S# B> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 i) X5 x3 b% I6 Q, D+ X> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ a  ]6 x/ c$ W. a0 o> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 n# h/ |/ {/ e+ @8 u. W5 X6 t> 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
. g- U, w' t  w, J! W- R4 f> 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,
& m7 s0 O' C5 A  ^  |, s( T> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
8 N$ m" v1 i4 {$ W& H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
* ?! H6 H. A7 b> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
# H" d9 r1 g, L  _- f> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) ]3 A, U8 m; {" y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
& R- m5 R+ _. h. ^1 _> 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
6 `6 N# N. E' z3 U- A> game for his team.
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9 i3 C- H# H- O' r6 M( O> '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
> 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
# k$ Z6 N; q- A5 a9 T+ V> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
. t3 @7 a3 N# L. u: P# E" `1 \. ?> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
& }8 e, I# y; t# L/ ^> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; c( `+ D5 s: l+ ?' ^> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
- }" w7 O8 U; f! ?9 s0 v1 m' N% q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- W, s' Z. K1 E+ ]% W> 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
+ v& d: t8 \3 D2 |) g5 e: g> 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
! V- z% ^1 P0 ?. U> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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$ S/ G. `+ ]: r6 z- {+ }  r: m> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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( W- u% A4 ~* v' ?> May your day, be a Shay Day.