Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 S7 |7 F2 H$ l6 ]- h> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
* R6 w, c0 }, G) T5 @& J% l> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 }. u! ]2 Y9 q: K4 E+ c5 w> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- s4 u* u! K! G' a1 \  D4 T% f8 w& @> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
: K9 r3 {* g# u/ k1 \) V  K: T> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
: j6 F% r0 c  ^- R- L2 x> treat that child.'
>
: |+ ^, F0 s  u> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: p% W6 D" V& X0 D) {0 q# \> 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
7 z* e4 f+ R& ^- k% j9 `9 @" m> 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.
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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
1 O+ B8 R# i+ K3 C( q> 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.'
>
7 `. X: J4 y: O4 h- D* \> 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
5 T- Z! }3 O9 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
> 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
> 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
7 n, c1 C  F6 H, [7 d( K> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. B6 s9 W+ A* i+ y, N> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
6 z4 o% l: d5 M4 X$ _' {> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% j! t7 E8 A( ?% h  n8 j> 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
( U8 X, [8 e. Z, c  \* c7 L> 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
; m- c$ a3 O  s/ H, h% d> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
+ x' U, H& Z( m* {. p+ c> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
5 |1 n; w# T1 m/ ^5 X> 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
: c! U( t" j* p4 l' c3 I' m> 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
& H2 `3 d% a# n1 D8 d> 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
> 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
7 c, |5 H) ?: A% v> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
5 z7 o( }* K; U$ i: B7 Y> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
% i$ [" G, N8 k> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( T8 c" v8 Y' n7 C' x) ^' g% q8 A> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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; b1 H1 Y' o9 T1 v7 x> 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
8 L! E9 W# d3 u. m) M> game for his team.
>
. n3 O0 {) q# B2 z; h4 _> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ m* w& _! J* J' k  _5 v% c; w. s> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
$ c( c. d. u% t, H. B5 w* z> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% k9 r+ q; \3 [( u" @+ e) C$ `> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
- o2 ^' Z/ r) k7 p4 U> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
) ]" a: ?1 e; {> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& h7 z( N# x  ?! O* r9 K+ n6 b8 b> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
8 m+ t( Q4 K8 w3 E+ ?* W/ z/ o> 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
( l  a' W+ M# |> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 T0 ?  E4 }# a2 @, U> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
- t5 p) B6 e; A4 B> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
9 G) E' W- N, w5 p  A> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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6 J, X2 x% ?! s  Z' a8 |( W+ ]$ c> You now have two choices:
, R* E$ R0 }8 l# G% v/ _+ O> 1. Delete
$ Q4 t# c$ K/ F> 2. Forward
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, O3 S7 C9 o8 i> May your day, be a Shay Day.