Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: R' Q8 }3 [$ l& |- t> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* S9 V9 X7 C7 Q* y0 U# g9 R* D+ I> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
! p. L5 ?8 }1 m# L+ P> same choice?
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( W# k* u5 z( h& D7 Y> 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
  a" `+ O& p8 D> staff, he offered a question:
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0 N6 `  m$ ?4 a6 C7 M$ {> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 s) M5 N- Y9 X1 l' D* e. e> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, g. k! w/ A4 ]" e! N6 O> natural order of things in my son?'
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1 L7 |1 G* o" e6 M, b1 T" x3 j> The audience was stilled by the query.
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8 k# e; ^8 k9 e" f& Y% l" Q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) h5 b( M3 L1 A& d) B# @0 `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> 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
( n( J" Y( H: f% C. @  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
+ G# Y, A( J9 U> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
# p, }2 u7 b: M  |> 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
) @, M- b  [/ @2 p; X% D2 h3 E4 X> inning.'
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5 Q/ Q" m2 N2 ~/ A! G5 f> 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
> 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
" L$ z3 T8 b. e( H> 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
8 b% F  [1 l3 K) v+ g: U3 s> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% L9 f1 Z, V& q: Y# j0 N- n: z> 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
  F- l% d) X9 P- @8 d! f. {> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 k1 f# e* V7 f' t0 v> 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
7 x$ j5 D; c; ^$ X' O$ Y2 l6 t> 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
9 n  [0 F. v7 {/ G> 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
# ?3 o' g2 _  f9 {& [> right back to the pitcher.
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1 ]; K) J3 u) H9 m" N9 F> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 ?$ R# {9 ^% S1 v> 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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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* T( z: w3 W# r! c  H9 d> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ W' @7 e1 S( t+ D" t0 Q2 |> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
0 T% t% k' V0 [7 {> 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
) {* {& X% g. }6 e* ^: t9 j) _> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 C2 L" b. Q6 j) J> 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
! _! L" i. X  q6 S- u> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* N, \" i8 @1 Z> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  E: J+ p% S: t5 V8 d* e- v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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) p4 z- n( W; Y, V0 O1 O> 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
5 W- F! z- ^. ]> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 r0 d: _7 |& s> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
& L9 h3 m  ^; d+ `> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
, J- n; f7 o7 U& f( C& X. Z  c, h4 I> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
7 ]+ j5 E# K" h> 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
4 ^0 ]6 o/ l- @0 v: B. a( N> 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
4 ^9 c# }* a" |> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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3 ]8 h9 k- p8 I- D% ^% E9 ~> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) ?: r7 w  a' r3 j$ r2 u> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 ?/ n: W3 z- N% s5 x# [' I  Q) f/ K, n> '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
- p6 p! t4 u* u1 h5 m( m6 o3 [> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ t* s7 c! P2 d4 y4 u, g# l> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
0 }+ j" Z% e8 u$ j> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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: t6 {4 d, h& ?, }- P0 G# }> May your day, be a Shay Day.