Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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* V" D! W7 X* D7 p1 H& P- ^> 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
; _/ y! v# j0 b3 [1 O> same choice?
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7 R2 r* R; M* G9 o9 G) 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
6 X7 g. j  w5 `7 }6 g2 ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
* W( s- }) ?: C. B! J& C> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# m8 i9 ?2 l$ t> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# k% Z" s. Z- b3 f3 h* h2 A> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  {  k7 z# X1 F  ~# _2 V! J> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( S4 L" a& f, a2 w7 _/ D> treat that child.'
>
7 n2 w% R$ ~- c+ c> Then he told the following story:
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8 C4 c; _- Q& G8 L> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! o: C' l5 ]% M6 W4 ^> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# O; q' V8 g- ~8 Y4 v4 D> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  m- _9 z8 C# O5 [> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
$ \4 G. \0 ]# c1 X. E: U> 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
> 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
1 d4 i. s) M; j! P5 I( T> inning.'
>
; M" b/ @. R2 u% V/ I7 K: d' `9 Q& p> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! [5 z: d+ N! u! r; X) A. J> 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
% S' n+ y0 }  C' P. m4 o9 ]> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
( ?" I# z' a1 I2 Q, T; U) U% ~> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 j. t. R; D7 N0 {& ^+ n: }0 R> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- f3 B. n+ a3 x7 `/ W3 p4 W& _> 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
4 {; ^7 s9 L) O7 M> 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
% R0 l% J1 |) q3 R> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" C3 {& u$ H  t> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
5 d& l( L: H8 u> 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
4 E' L( u- C  M; H7 x> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 C. ^  w& d3 Y# T> 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.
6 i* `" e# `* i+ s7 ~4 |> 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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' t) l8 Q  H/ @> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: g. J. M9 R. E7 R6 ^% G: l% P> 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.
>
> 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
( E8 X- {# ~7 g5 o  h> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ G3 m. A. H( R% T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, z  ?) k6 j& J) p7 |9 K! e> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 i' y0 y( z6 b- t: R5 k> 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
( B# u  D0 a+ K% y' Q> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ L3 k, P+ }) X4 m, k, l* [> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# ]; W. R/ T- J9 M' ~) D> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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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" {5 B2 d' s$ q, M" @> 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
6 z3 f7 E' R. c' T' |4 D> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 k1 v3 ~' }  n) q: X> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
. i; l0 Z, a/ T> 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 u2 h" ?2 z0 q> 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
2 B0 ?7 l% T  e( x2 k, J> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ z' c' d7 k- T& G# H) I' ], a> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
, F# V8 d% ]) B$ Y3 J4 ]; T. H  x> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
> 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
: R6 y' R/ B( ~- k1 \6 _> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) z' H9 _" `- W9 h( ?' J5 v# R> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 {  ^$ O' f- J> bit colder in the process?
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/ {! C7 I. E8 V/ m> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! _0 u) r3 b4 a* d> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
- }& Q5 I8 u3 t! ?> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
2 c( G- Z) ^# g> May your day, be a Shay Day.