Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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. Y, N  }2 T$ `> 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?
>
3 @$ ?4 ?& p( `$ @  p( _* P> 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
  D' p6 m7 K+ h> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
  a6 u' d! e6 {* `+ N4 s7 f+ \, q> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 ]3 s' |  n  h> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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! E! o* `$ z4 g4 ?> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) w# a0 A6 O, }9 J  S> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 I9 i2 G$ k& k- T$ N> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* h$ Z% M% u$ n0 e# P/ j> 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
4 `/ q. @& S; X. @& E0 f$ T> 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
. ^8 p* X9 C  g! D> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 |5 n- k4 J9 K+ _2 @) p> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) n6 X' }3 |: g. ?; i2 v; w7 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
2 R  o3 r9 Y. k( ^/ k' Z> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
$ [1 X9 o" ^5 @( z. m) E> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" s# c- @% }+ y  X0 h" m> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, A% T$ m0 V( W> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, K8 E$ u6 i) m$ j$ n, d; }> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 k$ \, N$ z, i' d/ o: u> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 O& P/ z5 q8 B9 {> 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
9 g$ r. O8 d* Z3 u3 ~9 @. q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, r* w2 S$ S$ w" j> 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,
* X7 `& {% c1 R> much less connect with the ball.
2 z* Q! K4 ~$ f) k5 D8 n> 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
9 _  E7 \8 r- ~> 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
# @. p5 {" u" E8 t5 C> 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
8 f7 m' y3 L! M1 g4 _" s2 K, K& Y  L> 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
  P9 C6 Q- o5 D! {) `( `# a, C! B> 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,
; J: _9 `' W/ V3 V/ ]> wide-eyed and startled.
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; C- g" `+ W- r6 X) o, m. l3 b8 F> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! U7 F3 A2 r2 ^# b' H& A7 [! R5 f> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- U9 @& ]/ }. N9 U> 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
! W8 g: z6 s& t% G( o$ a3 F3 U1 R( z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* @8 z' L/ t# u, B9 B: U> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ |5 a9 @& k8 s/ `/ H* r) L> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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0 ], ^: E4 Z6 Q% Z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" l* C7 `. C2 K% c. L, ~> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 A  H) w$ i8 U' j& b> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 z. q$ }4 _) }; x, y: M> Shay, run to third!'
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; A; _5 L) `) f' @$ n3 }+ h4 m> 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
: n" c+ W4 M6 Z) c/ |> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 G9 ?1 j/ K6 L0 k3 P" y( z$ y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( V& M3 T6 }7 W7 _. j: E% Y6 s> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& d6 I* _) v" k, V8 H> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
+ m9 H- i4 P: N> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
8 u! q/ ^/ Z; V' L& Y> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 M# L  a( X3 n0 x# H; a' G> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' U- d; F* a8 [0 l$ I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
. T- n, T: n' i' p& q1 V4 y2 o+ o6 d> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; w( [- @; ]9 A/ @5 U' Y" h> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) ^& l6 v0 r. h2 [> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
) \  B7 v- c  p2 C5 j& ?3 s% Q& }> '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
> 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
. d1 [% ?* s7 |% @8 h> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
  p- J; k% l  m( X, F4 b> A wise man once said every society is judged by
/ \/ y1 \: ~/ ?5 z/ L> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
" t' V8 o4 N( W- z> 1. Delete
# Z' {4 P  X3 u4 j/ b* l> 2. Forward
>
% b& B6 m7 X8 ?3 s  d( y3 O! _, d8 f> May your day, be a Shay Day.