Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* n. f) \7 R4 K3 [$ P. |* d> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
0 S+ p; s1 u$ X  }1 n% Z% L' J& b> 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
> 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
* P* P4 U, n! M4 G6 P7 {> 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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& t. k, ]- U( U, I7 C4 T> The audience was stilled by the query.
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' H* R3 u( d0 |* x9 K) _7 m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 Q; j- y% J! p: }9 ^9 b> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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" {% o  z5 L' X+ o4 D> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 _* `5 A: P' L! A/ K6 ?( l> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: B! y9 w" Y% s4 l2 E> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( Z7 e% E, z3 g1 L% I, W> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; j: K$ }& z) R( ~9 v$ ^4 i> 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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5 I0 F: M2 j3 Z8 Y3 {9 Y> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! u7 `6 K% @' ]% ^; q> 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
> inning.'
>
* S' I  `5 }! z/ E' T> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
& W- ]# B+ j$ k6 o4 q( _6 m> 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
0 I) P5 c% w6 ?. k- I> 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
, }% \, z/ V4 ]% e4 X> 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
. [( ?- A+ w: p+ U9 t> 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
7 Y6 ~3 P6 l6 |% I> 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
" O( g) Y9 E1 y+ Y0 G5 [> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
1 A( [* ^2 c! }( x/ b> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 I' a7 S7 R  |3 |* C* A" [> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 Y9 R! Z. ^. v' X2 X1 S/ m> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 c( ?1 ?# C1 a0 A  {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
& v* ?" k' U* ]5 `> right back to the pitcher.
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' V$ _) X- s& x, R7 F* g# ~8 \> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 {! W' i( r* j  c, J8 J! |( L- T7 K2 J> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 V" w; J5 O/ y& r/ Q+ T: I> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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 B% c( x0 _$ D* T0 |- C7 j> wide-eyed and startled.
>
: Y2 d4 R) n& \1 y( L" Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 n" F) d. O& [> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ K$ c$ A3 ?7 t" m. B> 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
> 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,
/ m4 q, m2 a5 a0 T; I; @$ M7 d> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
3 n# d) A$ I) e4 ]8 Y- Z) N1 h> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- y  ^5 Q$ _4 k9 ?; X6 _> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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. B2 F/ z& s$ |4 J: B> 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
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, e3 x3 b# q( p# c5 F# v> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
" P  t2 x3 Y8 f" b> game for his team.
>
" x! m3 j6 l% ]; l> '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
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>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ F% W" Z2 O5 |6 V) y> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
, m: S- U; y) Q1 g# [$ b' P> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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+ O( w  l. O  H6 ]> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
  }7 E8 E9 b+ }5 E# s/ h> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
- {7 f$ ?/ u' O1 v; {$ s4 i% C> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
$ \( r8 x- h9 c2 O6 g3 j/ e# T> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ W4 {# b' x; n9 b, t! V, o> 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
; g6 r9 x/ X7 D' ^2 ^> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* r9 O$ e) Z( g) M$ S0 V> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' k  p/ i4 {; C% J! g5 E> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 W5 r2 \# W' ]" X9 b> 2. Forward
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* C" q% I4 J0 r* k% _" A> May your day, be a Shay Day.