Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: |" k, `" h9 X; w; `5 G% n> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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: Y: d% g4 k6 I2 ]; j# A. w> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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' o8 c) D) H8 G7 K& Y+ w> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 a1 u  x  c( h; ]3 h5 u> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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( Q3 n  c8 m) K  \2 m> 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
. z5 o8 K. M9 a- B1 B0 j+ c> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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: O" R- v! u: I" q> Then he told the following story:
>
6 V: \3 L" Q6 B3 |7 a9 {> 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
3 _9 K+ n; }# a. n4 H! p) k8 \7 {> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 `/ R2 s3 v  l) E7 D/ G> 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.
>
& E- a3 C* V" B5 C) K& b4 y3 m> 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
1 Q9 o7 E  o2 E: Y- o. V+ j9 w> 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
/ i6 ~# g; k% V0 T1 a> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% I+ c! `3 X* }- H: K0 b> 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
; |/ Z1 W) |0 t$ z1 s> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
/ }! `$ B1 _2 B. I> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ A& l6 e* S: |! Y% g> 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
( Q; ?1 n" v3 {, i> 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.
>
/ ]: S: F  |& ], w5 Q> 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
4 S$ j# H+ U$ E$ ]+ H3 a: R# D> 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
9 s% ?) K$ B& M> 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
5 ~6 l5 \1 k8 Y! e# K* {6 [- S, t> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( n; K9 f4 N: ^5 ?- D> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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. X$ v7 h. `: \/ d" t> 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
5 e" V$ O$ y9 {7 {" f: I) Z. Q% c> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( W0 _: [4 v' ^" O  q> wide-eyed and startled.
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' p$ M4 j# ^. F: @: L2 n> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ F( `9 g& f* s5 K' S/ e$ t9 N> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 g0 u% U& n* m" ?> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 \$ D) Z+ a& j( _3 ~> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 Y: ?$ H" O6 W/ v9 t> 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
; Z" d5 z- K8 w0 S> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
' g/ a/ Z$ m( o4 F$ E: h> circled the bases toward home.
>
8 F+ X/ x/ J& D> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
; |; x% y' _. b" L! a) Z# [> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. W' f: c; N& \- w: m1 o: m> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) X4 K$ a2 E) ~: N> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
. X, k- e& e: z4 l2 W, H> game for his team.
>
8 X- \% n* ?; O9 I- w+ w5 E7 A> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 {$ n$ \/ W4 a3 B; ]5 X$ b: X! {> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
4 L7 y# q$ K8 O2 J> into this world'.
>
> 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
! C; ^8 @7 x1 A. N* U5 r' d/ u> 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
2 X' v+ h& X1 o* w/ `" Y+ @  n/ ]> 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
: y; R" `$ |, F& u, `" \+ }> 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
3 `8 Q8 _& f/ _$ D' E2 F> 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
3 O% @4 _! o3 J8 d; }> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
8 W& C. u- q- v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ ]( C: f  \! ?6 K# l2 B+ A> bit colder in the process?
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/ N& X$ U- g* z7 u) X# X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
( s* `4 w" a7 D' C! T! t0 p> 1. Delete
! y- h8 @% Y2 E! \0 g* T$ a9 f5 s5 y> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.