Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: B. i3 x) W2 Y  [> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 y6 T& M+ K: f> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ o8 \0 q) T. F% r> same choice?
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> 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
& N' G" \1 g5 y. P4 G1 S+ [$ n> staff, he offered a question:
>
2 _1 Y; f+ M' @. _2 h4 @> '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
  n% L4 N7 a! v0 x> natural order of things in my son?'
>
/ j3 J% F" h6 x& ]6 r> The audience was stilled by the query.
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) |7 P& E9 l) n: W. [" p) p# s> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% H0 W6 f1 X3 O- T' O: g7 A% x  w3 p> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; M) I% _2 W+ [) T> treat that child.'
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> 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
4 f. v. a. c- s" |8 F% Z2 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.
>
3 I/ @6 y' P) S& p$ ]. r> 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
2 W9 `& B- v0 `0 B9 m> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
% w+ E, N* j2 w  k% V; A2 O> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
- J9 V: E3 A( L6 m> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ e9 z  `; r( j( w+ x/ N7 S3 c> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
' E" A* {% Y, r4 l7 t> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 e) o8 I- L8 x# \> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  C, [! X" R. q. j> 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
6 r% e9 P" Z) Z) I> next at bat.
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3 `( B8 P% h3 [/ T. h" C> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! a( U+ t, H8 Z: X. |- r1 t; ?0 p> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 ~3 ?" q3 w; c> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
7 k' W7 U! e4 J* |  N' W  j: D> 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
> 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
7 J+ H1 Z) e) Q1 c> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ k, y7 h4 u, }! D2 z+ A% ~> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! K& s$ |' _$ n9 B> 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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$ w, k+ p  S) R' l5 M( F! u+ O> 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
3 ]" A; ^* C% H3 @8 W> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  t' q  M7 }& y" W0 N$ p+ j2 D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
5 V+ K) M) F' O0 b) H> wide-eyed and startled.
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0 X) K- |$ F  \- c9 g+ E- z1 }, j+ c> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 ^, \: ^% p7 l> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 K1 n3 m  c) c! Q( |1 z5 U6 l# O> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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5 p0 x4 N; z  R( n: ^1 i> 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!'
>
# u+ j1 S5 b+ G> 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
* K- o: W2 G9 f+ c$ D( c> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. O  d! L; P5 g# |( p: ]> game for his team.
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' ~% P0 _: e; `" a! J8 O> '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
- b' H. X! f9 f* S3 _" X0 c> into this world'.
>
$ v, Y# U- `% Y; L+ X, Z> 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
5 S8 b8 }% @" Z> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 m$ X0 w/ f3 L' `8 c9 {; Q> 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
, t6 t5 ?! s! L0 U" x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 l8 S4 x+ P- J> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 R7 K" n! @9 _/ h& C1 p0 f6 |> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
5 a3 A6 {' V( G% w> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
6 v* O( U2 G& U8 ~- g; q> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ |! W! a) {( ?5 d* P> 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
. v7 O* a5 M% B9 S" Y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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: ?# ?( T- N5 C; l1 B> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- ]* @, ?& B( D7 Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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- m! }' P3 g8 ]9 I9 T: \( V  C! r> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
* B2 f& c  ]7 g& D# Q> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.