Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
* C. ?6 @7 V1 g& f> 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
. Q7 E& a5 N8 i7 x4 s3 U7 Q2 S2 f- L> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ `: i0 m* ]2 C# V> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& X" }3 C& {9 C0 z$ z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* M0 ?. x7 r  @( F> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
, n/ |- i2 ~9 _+ w* z, m> 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
7 l( U8 i& b9 ^' L  r4 J' q> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
" `% H# C* d. z> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; i7 o/ {1 q5 ^" L6 s/ H> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) w: R. m8 W# F2 V$ J2 l> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& V5 m& Q% b& V: O2 M1 W> 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.'
>
1 Y* P1 a( {# a* K> 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
) f4 W" R; B) l+ s> 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
5 o9 z2 a" H7 z: A# v' q" N> 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
' C6 c! F- T. u) c8 j6 w0 E  ]> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
1 D5 }" ~. w9 b1 o> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) j9 B  x& a: l& Y. t% S" o" u' y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
& o6 e3 F. D. ?" B8 N> next at bat.
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. w& G- [. i/ ?. ^4 i& O: ^8 Q> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! C8 _) {. w% q7 ^> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 C: Y9 K" u$ m2 e1 n> 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
' `: N, n$ z/ |) L8 B> 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
( P: z/ U' [$ B, s0 L9 d> 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
! d2 {6 I  r! Z- J) W. Q5 \> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 E" g! `+ o8 d" T5 k+ F( r> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
  A1 o; d9 u' R( B> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 H: V! U0 u+ L& s) U/ L! k+ ?> 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,
+ d( a& x2 a$ X$ P0 Y> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ Y! \: p9 L0 m& L) r> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 R9 _( j6 s4 r1 I! A. a> 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
1 t) v, m! F  P5 o1 f/ D> 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
6 s! N7 s: p9 g" G$ N> circled the bases toward home.
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# M# |; \0 v5 f. k! P& Z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: b0 {3 m3 J" K* d  ~' P- f; h> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* x: s. Q, I$ H# p> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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" {: H' I$ I, e1 J> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> '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
> into this world'.
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> 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
8 [$ g9 O5 n- d" D> 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
/ l* P; J$ k* x/ `% U> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- G, P( ]/ `/ m6 [+ N# W6 \; z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
. z, L4 b8 x/ W5 n. u> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
  ^5 P2 a- f( a+ m2 l> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ R! j* k& g8 g> 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
5 S; t, P3 n( `7 z> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ E4 c. K% h! J( E$ g3 h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
) a4 G1 Z- s9 U# E% e% _> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.