Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
0 x& G9 S1 ]0 k, _2 ]> 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
> same choice?
>
> 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
9 ]# ~8 B0 T# t- x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
2 Y8 r( G* \, A. g& l3 j> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
! I0 B0 O# E% V>
  x$ F  F8 \' v4 a6 y. M> The audience was stilled by the query.
5 k5 I7 J: E2 T>
/ \- @& F7 c& y) v" ?/ k0 H> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
& g  a4 S) ~+ V3 l! V2 ]> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: y8 L$ ]- _# l0 n) _5 _9 L> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 t$ B. d/ k* a4 p> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
7 Z5 p) M* v* R+ X+ W1 A  X* f> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 A. t- Z& E" W1 |  u* A& f5 [. E7 Y> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 t! [9 c9 T9 @5 I: v2 r3 u/ `" W> 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
$ Q* `# q; q% {9 b: ?3 o: r1 v9 |> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 L' L. J( q8 ^" C8 n> 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
; M$ }! J0 d5 t" r4 F  r& r> inning.'
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: w' l! |4 E4 ~6 ?+ g8 o) g> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 r4 x) _# O: H" {9 f  q8 ~> 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
1 S+ M5 U) b( N> 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
$ I+ e1 M  @9 C% h4 M( ~" V8 q9 j> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  v- }9 }3 a% p* p2 T8 x; h# U> 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.
4 _, Q4 N9 m- n4 n' D  u>
+ a! V4 X" H1 j; v* l- S> 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,
3 X. K1 R5 P2 d: B6 F) W0 V, Z1 T2 }> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 u* G" b5 ?/ H( f! d: O> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
  w7 V) t9 l% V( s% s> 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.
9 G8 m2 p# [8 O4 `, E/ s6 E; R> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. p0 s' j' f5 j7 t& k. g> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 d9 j/ U, d2 X6 z0 R0 b> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& j# m, g4 \7 W$ h> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
: Y4 `7 B% I; U0 {1 b3 `" [>
- ~( e3 G1 X. R0 _- e" Q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 l/ P3 k* J4 z. U% V( Z6 y> 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
- b1 f4 \! z" _. O> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
, n# m2 V! @2 Y8 U( j1 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- H0 _, p# L2 i9 J> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
6 n% p7 I7 A7 R$ F8 ^( \$ _+ A>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
2 M' Q5 a  H: p9 I( w> 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!
6 p( X8 d) S8 A* p9 f> Shay, run to third!'
2 M5 F9 K9 L% p$ Y2 F# [! l" }>
> 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
; z4 W3 x3 s$ h# @4 G2 f! p9 {! u> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 D' V+ L2 C! ]/ j% g4 N  ?> game for his team.
# U4 _; t# |  n>
+ I" W* R) u' o. }5 O7 a* a> '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'.
) {. J$ O2 c! C1 `4 o/ u>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. _6 J* ^! K; V  V> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% a- Y/ S& c3 T: I" e# [/ Z' d> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
+ Q. Q7 }) O" L> 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.
>
' i! A6 U3 t* {% Z& g> 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
$ y6 p4 j$ T7 R2 j: M0 |% J> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 N$ g, r/ B. _7 a> 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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 N! P2 P% J  U> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
  ]* n1 E; ]+ V' i> bit colder in the process?
# s, h0 P9 |9 u( J% K2 y" n>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
, [" P. M2 d3 Q! l. H>
8 t! S. ~, z7 z5 l> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
( X0 j; z! k. b8 [> 2. Forward
# p/ W/ d9 Z3 B) J>
+ e  g2 }  i5 I* S( E> May your day, be a Shay Day.