Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
* A6 y3 |0 O7 e; l> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> 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
) e8 S* m9 p" e& g9 b> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
4 y' F  g4 f6 X, Z0 @1 V>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% B+ ~3 H) t8 H. X> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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& P) t! S; ^8 ~. s7 z7 J2 U> Then he told the following story:
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7 T: J1 U- A. k$ [  R' `3 D0 l> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) H9 ?' t" I! g# K8 j> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 Q4 k6 Q+ V8 o. N( r> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
7 |) N) {! k, E# i9 c  d>
2 Z1 u" L& b  ~% U( O> 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
; N. y$ g) k8 z  ~> inning.'
>
) y( o3 x& Z% z# n5 ]> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ e4 y$ Z1 L6 T  Q> 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
. {" H. U" H! P" y9 `> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# K5 e* m7 p5 d& 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
5 G( i0 A4 D# Q0 c/ n2 y> 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
* U! ^4 ]+ }" k- s1 z. N> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; L3 K0 X1 c: {> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
# E7 F& ]8 d2 s% e2 }> next at bat.
>
. l9 a) h. L3 w7 Q% y8 u# H> 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
! |- K4 X2 G9 V+ J9 H  T; X7 U> 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
+ F/ o5 m" O+ G, c) h& d6 F> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
) G1 {9 M1 Z4 \5 u/ a0 ~> 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
1 Y/ A: D/ Z1 a2 @0 n- F$ R> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, t' X! C+ P+ l' n( }& M> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
: c3 h' v9 R1 J0 A> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> 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.
>
" p% h" d% ]3 h; v> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. E* m- a% H& E0 N> 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
# }0 h; C& [3 T, Z' }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
( f2 d0 p& V" m' q/ C3 L9 |- h. X> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. d( d$ c2 B5 C7 c> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
: t2 P  i9 G7 X- A3 ?> 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
) W  ^" T. Z( p' m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: W. t: L; D$ P$ L> 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!
0 Y7 C3 v) [5 _9 Y' K- e> Shay, run to third!'
4 ^4 x( \* L; k: K7 ~>
> 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
: O) V! J' |% G> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
>
% n4 O6 ?/ \* h- B! ^4 ]> 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
) H' V% Q; K7 B3 Q4 T> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
) P7 m8 Q# r/ i# c& d. T* p> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" w* W/ F9 D" V: C) _1 T1 r> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
8 `) M" N$ j$ n0 J, |! {> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
2 k8 o/ g: R4 s: Q2 I" d>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" a# d4 l) ]+ `( v, _7 `/ j> 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
/ z7 m8 u8 E. T: u+ v> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
6 s& m, f  Y6 }7 r5 J> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 A  p0 o; ~0 j- E9 g> 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
! I6 [8 S8 ~# g3 W& k* t7 x. |> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
7 \5 p+ h0 _9 m: t( @( I: c> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ o5 o% \; P/ r& \$ f1 H; y7 [( V- {> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- O8 A+ `9 T, B  @5 g2 G7 M8 m: c> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.