Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
# o! [% ^5 A" w/ c: g> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  V3 U2 O; F% b6 t/ l0 k> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) {% ?1 o& |# l; T5 C> same choice?
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' G% u5 a, C8 ^& J7 t+ N' a" ~+ w/ L9 c> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ A4 @3 }' E. o( h$ Z4 h> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
6 ~  x- q5 u$ w- _. J  O& v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
- B& W! [4 k, ?: o> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
* c4 Y$ _! R  [# b, z4 o> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
2 F9 h+ `% G0 {, Q, z' r> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) X2 i1 M: {7 O( K! G! w3 [> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 b, {1 I! |5 ?5 G* P0 n> treat that child.'
>
0 ~2 Z* Y( M. }+ t9 c% k> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> 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,
* d6 D) c4 t( _) M9 g> 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 P' }& m) W. [3 F6 t0 }> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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; |  _# ^/ F8 F- i0 U7 `> 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
5 n7 X9 G& q; |4 u4 N* ~2 |! x! x> 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
> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
8 z* G1 _# q; v' r8 `> 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
# w4 ?# l5 n: c. ^2 o- L0 @> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
$ p, x) Q- c* Q& y7 b> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( w) ?2 t% f- E" W6 y0 x4 I- W4 v> 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,
) y* s  I- L4 {. b3 C7 l> 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
/ H2 I" T7 n! O" a' G: v" }5 [> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
: \, U' K# h5 i8 [> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
1 p9 X% b9 l1 x& w/ c' s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) x% E' H+ a7 r, ?> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) |3 Y7 r. \6 f: l* R/ {' y4 _> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
+ n. ^& t) a$ l> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
6 b3 G  p1 I8 A: W4 A+ C> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
7 b- |+ B  s+ _( b! L> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) s! B3 b, H+ P' T5 }> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
7 L# c% ]- u: g7 X! n3 I> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
  v" e- `" v4 N7 u6 ?> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
; _4 N! v0 ^9 M6 c: `> 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
> 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,
2 _' ~& i& S/ r$ ~5 C> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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$ U: Q0 E7 |2 h- ]> 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
> 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
6 H7 [5 q, e4 S! W3 d  G9 k8 a( S> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
> 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
9 `! F( [8 T" S> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
4 S4 t" K) g8 k* x; Y> '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
. n6 W  r1 N, P+ }5 @" J4 D  u> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 R7 F( k8 d* ~3 }> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 U' o  a  ]/ E6 ~( [> 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.
>
2 W3 N$ u; `5 \4 \> You now have two choices:
: O6 C, Z5 I) Q0 `7 a6 B$ S> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.