Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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! |8 r1 ?+ R8 ^' H> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& L" u5 X: z' |; n. n9 k> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
% v2 m; B5 b% W> same choice?
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2 ~0 y0 ~4 g3 |* |  p> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" D# Q; [2 A. U2 u" c1 I> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 p) A/ u. v( q1 R7 _6 o6 E> staff, he offered a question:
>
6 o' G9 T. ?' w1 e3 v* I! a) ~> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 z% Y0 j% w2 h$ ?7 e> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ t$ \3 O1 R5 w6 ^> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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9 g  N1 d8 T3 C. Y$ T' o8 e7 }> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 S* D4 z, q+ t: _7 V- r> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 J! Y7 C3 d0 O. S' r% s> 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
+ T9 w8 [3 |! r> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
  ]4 `5 s  `6 D8 F) R> 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
* E8 d: |2 o* m: J. ]> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
! j: S8 e1 d$ k" L> 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
& n1 k9 \. L# v5 }& a- w> 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
9 K+ m2 v2 I) K> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. G) v7 i5 a& u7 ?# R- Z: \* g8 e3 e> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
' G# I: {6 c1 }3 p1 K# B  m% 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
; t* f) x0 o3 G% Q) P> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 L4 e5 p, N7 `> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 i  h5 y  y3 m+ N' G> 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
" x) Q- H; z! O3 Y+ @> 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.
0 M6 {5 L5 y9 r- P> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 ?, q" Q2 R5 F0 S* w4 E> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 j) d, f* P* p( L- m5 z, J; \> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( o4 f; A" p6 @/ g4 N9 O> 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.
! F6 O' a2 F% n' J% W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
+ o: T) O3 t$ ^% K> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' Z7 {& b6 j8 X9 H; n1 a8 B- g> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
4 G. ]& @0 }+ p/ y1 ^- 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
$ I  s) w3 ]+ M9 S> 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
3 }3 j  B2 B5 @* ]> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
* Z( ~! A$ S4 p0 z/ T& a+ _( c( V3 X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
$ C, |6 [( M+ g1 s1 A! e( C9 W> 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
/ G7 O' G* {/ D8 d> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 l; W5 ~# _) X0 Y# b> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
  `1 t3 U/ W$ o5 i> 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
) v: G5 F' ]/ `2 i: y7 J> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
* l: E  I9 Q% a; T' R> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  Y/ ~! n/ E5 O) y% ]> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ ?" R+ a3 e# d0 r> 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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- J' b* Z9 R8 \* e. |. {" e> '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
1 s8 s) K5 J' e$ f5 D- `> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) }+ i1 S! V% I) b> 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!
>
> 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
- U" j, y% C3 `; @> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
0 K7 e0 P8 L8 i# x; I# [4 ~/ }> 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
4 S7 a6 |$ z, j9 l> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
* Z, B6 g+ j) @1 x0 m> 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
- o! ]  z6 A, W1 k* t5 l( I> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
! U; J/ X& k* F* ~; u> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
8 |1 M9 v. s1 u' c( ^) w, u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.