Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 C. B6 C# U, }  v7 ~% }/ {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 P8 ^! p$ P5 A> 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
- [# e7 {/ v4 Q( _7 x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
* s. ]  u2 F6 j) n) J) C% W> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 }( P: y! \5 [* F1 h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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" G5 b3 q  }$ h/ U. N> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* J- g/ o% Y9 G# P> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ ~* _1 q3 Y7 t2 V% _& \1 b> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
% w5 u8 J1 H$ L; L> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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6 j. c# k3 @. {8 H  s* @> 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
/ ~. a7 T8 T/ @> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 b2 J! h' ~/ ~) |> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) H3 V8 U/ a' D$ G# w2 n> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- k. T) q$ p: y> 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
# ~  l6 O& u8 y+ |> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
) @1 C% u) e5 T% Z/ v# k> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
$ m# Y+ y7 p7 y& ^* E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
2 O/ b6 N" i  Q6 v# L> inning.'
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! a" M2 W3 D, M0 {> 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
6 z' Y, ]5 x8 @  h) r> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 C8 R) r/ ~; b. y# l+ j; f> 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
+ }, ?. w8 X8 Q6 B7 N- }. P& N( w> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* [6 P6 ?9 y( T9 }6 w# z5 ?5 F> next at bat.
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6 s3 ?/ `( Z  ~% ^9 I9 z8 V> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. V4 j$ B- S$ [9 h8 X0 J1 D4 ]> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" m9 L! V7 M( r+ S, ~2 U) j> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( i  m3 i6 C7 f) V6 E: x  `> much less connect with the ball.
% {& l" d& I- \3 g) K* X> 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
$ f4 R+ m* C1 t1 T. J$ r> 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.
- Z2 x  U. O2 @, q* ]+ x> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
, u& U+ p3 o8 v2 ?" _3 s# b> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ q8 s$ c: j3 _+ R> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
- G" y  o, b* I! G9 B/ \+ U> 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
- J1 j: b' t) g! @0 d$ ]> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" ]' d8 r% O' B0 f> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
9 Z  r1 W2 Z+ a& G: ?4 C& T$ E> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 j8 b6 \! d3 T> 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
% b' f) c2 O- t> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
8 }4 p0 x) j/ i7 `, I, i$ `7 V> 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,
' S) z* U1 A' D( S% E# U1 _. K> 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
# _- ]; b; O& h7 n; X! S> circled the bases toward home.
>
  i9 l: H/ }6 u5 P. Z9 K+ B: g> 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!'
>
> 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
% t* k+ h. g1 Y0 ~- w3 C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
6 z( {& A6 o, l2 q> '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'.
>
  s% m. S3 N, b9 F+ s$ U$ U> 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
! U5 q* M# h! ~2 c0 o> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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, c- Q, N( ]. h* e' M4 V3 }> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* u# X: B" R9 l" E0 w> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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% Q5 r$ R2 ]- f$ L> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 P( P: `, |# ]; N3 J> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, p' G: u4 c# n. ]& J> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) g0 @( N  e, |5 [- W( x1 ~1 h3 m> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 u8 J$ k5 C6 U# {> 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
' M3 Y, r5 x: l> 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
, u+ n0 H; U9 w9 _9 W. ?> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
% ]. h  J/ N( F% q* C* s> You now have two choices:
6 q: m/ v& {3 F& Y> 1. Delete
' \& N# R) x; A6 [: s/ l; p> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.