Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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( Z' B; n% T- |> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, `( [8 x$ [1 H* i) C6 l( ?> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ d7 a# N9 H, ?" `> same choice?
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# o) c& b, y( f8 Z, i> 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
$ J/ `4 Z$ w: F6 A# u# x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
0 K4 x- H# F* R5 Y> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 ~. e+ I) Y- M) T( g2 L/ j# p, P2 u> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
, u% p6 ^- a, R4 s# y. @> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ |2 }- E1 P% f7 C9 x* ?; j> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& _9 ?) b% |8 K. ]3 f" o, u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ O3 B  J, @" O4 f, v> treat that child.'
>
$ C, v& h2 _6 B, t- L, S' R> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* e: i9 k- m* p2 s' j' k! h> 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
, Q$ T- o+ U2 s+ c* c" i- F: j> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
0 b/ I- s+ i  f( r9 }4 k7 F> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
3 {" e9 a: P: {4 c, n/ u# w> 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
5 q5 b: Y8 o& A$ I> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; M$ L) q7 Z  o) x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 e* r- s4 {$ U& n5 @> 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
3 [9 U$ E* G0 h> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# c" g) G, ^. p$ t5 r( a> 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
" W$ E% }4 r2 q; `$ a6 r1 Q> 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
% E. c9 f7 V# @> 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
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# ?9 @4 R6 D9 w+ Z; [" f# h' {> 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,
' x0 _- Y- L% O1 i9 L" Z8 F; j> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! V# H9 ~  ~8 \  A- P0 A$ K4 _> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
, T0 F# j3 E0 m> 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.
; U5 Q8 j5 M) f5 ]  v' r> 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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3 R2 S. r3 M" ]3 Z9 {> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. C. p1 M, ]: {8 I0 ^/ ]> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 a7 B+ q+ i( w0 o> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
6 E$ f' m1 l! u" G> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
9 F! a4 F2 n* x. ]% Q3 }* V> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
2 g- f6 c0 o; R, f> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& Z0 E" M& ]; K. [: `# O> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
+ [3 X- ~$ r( l4 m" l" L> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. w7 G$ _) H. Z3 R4 C  ~4 e# w5 x> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 k1 w) P6 \2 e* m) u> 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
% R* N5 i' C: V* ^3 l/ n) `> 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
6 b8 q! C* ^4 o4 w> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% }5 h# Z. z. [' s' @; f> 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
" s9 z4 h( Y) }# J> circled the bases toward home.
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5 y  G6 H7 B* r( B" R1 w* d2 E> 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!'
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; z: a3 m5 ^0 f8 l> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ @2 s6 ?& q5 \! `8 k> 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.
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) }% P7 d/ j, t1 C> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 e# u. v1 _) j5 {: V+ b" a0 `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
3 b! m% V8 t8 O+ }: }  L" c> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) J: \: i) V. ?2 `% N# {$ I> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
4 j; r- Y$ v/ e0 G6 x> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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, x1 k  j) X9 B( E/ }( l> 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
5 }  k# U9 Z) U3 Z> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
7 R! i, [4 }$ a+ R- u3 r  ]> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; K4 c9 Q: J" n> 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
+ n8 A$ k" b  S# u9 N% y> 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
3 k  c+ ]# K& k) o- M> 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
9 D, d% o4 ^3 S; ^" X# r  i> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
( a+ R+ t  b; D* L! K; v- G3 y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 ?# U7 b, Z. n( [8 I& u. t> You now have two choices:
, e  h7 {# [# G' Z> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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# O: C9 r1 Z" w% c$ B7 S> May your day, be a Shay Day.