Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
1 Y6 O" S- j: {& \* P) D; O> 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
8 s2 ~" U0 U- [5 O9 g$ k> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: _( e/ S- L# S> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
1 ^2 U8 i, S4 z5 V: @> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
( u2 [, u: \5 s% X3 X9 [+ @2 w> staff, he offered a question:
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& u6 I' M! c! C5 {2 w* O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 d* q) K" u0 {0 A# S8 M3 q$ d> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 V( j+ ]9 w. U$ A- N  H" [> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 B+ F* J) D0 T> natural order of things in my son?'
>
$ ^) V8 ?, X; E. I: z, m> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: B! ]6 o3 e2 {! F$ T> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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4 m( p4 F) u$ y& I# e> Then he told the following story:
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* O3 u! q. w" Y- i0 H> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! k/ g1 a% w: L8 }; |# p> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: D, l! p  S' R8 `) [> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
: _2 u( Y7 \! H, p- x& l. X4 P! w> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 g0 \$ @. @$ G# g$ J> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
% Z) ~- ~: o% E> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
) E7 P' H7 }' f* B$ P> 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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: n, m9 x' d% U> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 E- a( `' v. M- H" g1 `> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# O4 r9 h: E2 L: d& H& @6 w> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
$ F) n$ {9 B/ R! W* V, V/ i: ~- {- x> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
" q/ Z8 M6 g! r. b# |1 |; P9 Q> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% b3 F7 |* w2 R- g1 t3 {, o2 \> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 P+ L8 `' N9 e$ x& M9 p> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
4 s# Q2 m0 ^/ I" h' @> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- |9 z; P; V# v> next at bat.
>
8 Z$ a* _/ c9 K5 E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) l$ G  R" s- H$ i' Y8 P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. G9 q* S' y! }# M" }, l8 i! n+ p> 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
4 }; O8 Y! a: W2 ~7 q> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 g, \# f+ C, }; @* A+ ]& V> 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
" M2 x6 Z; z3 f* P% P> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 y0 W" j( [: 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
> 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
) I( r  x$ h0 V1 _> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ ~8 i3 v; b  j# R) Z6 K- q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
, p2 g6 U; Z* d4 j6 i$ s. w> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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4 P- p) \2 S( H/ g> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!'
>
# y' g0 _% `7 M, z" a4 ^> 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
% l1 W8 z  b7 ~/ X8 C) G# T. r+ l> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  \6 S- I% `3 B$ j; m9 _> game for his team.
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" V0 q. ~  p  y8 C# x& f> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ ]" j" z. T7 r) A9 ]> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
7 i, O. S! \' V2 _> 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
- X6 U5 w; b. W- E7 Q. a> 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
3 M, E! U; U1 w> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
& l5 s0 ]! h; g+ e4 I0 r# S> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 a7 v+ l5 ~) ^; T! I> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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( x. V& n* p5 T9 x9 u/ T0 Y4 D> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 ~3 k. Y6 o! y> 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
# a" h9 D2 ^4 m5 {, ~- M> 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
, i/ x* E$ P: j( |3 X> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) z% g1 e. x" Y: ?! R> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
# u) ?+ W; G3 I5 F3 d> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" C! M2 h) N, e2 `5 Q* }: r> bit colder in the process?
1 u' u+ f# k7 N) U>
* r: t% k) [) k1 t> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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, J& T. T, f! t/ p: w# t+ o; M& U> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. X* i: L: J( n4 v> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.