Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: K$ [* f6 {2 X- f! ^> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- ~5 m& C0 H2 a4 Y/ K2 q5 f/ }" h( `> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ n6 K/ }) t% ]$ d" h; x  ^> same choice?
>
( C- G; [) l+ s) F+ L> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 m: x5 e; {& a  j0 _> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
& ]& x8 @/ g5 W+ G9 X> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
% m+ h! k! K# N  O5 T, O- e> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" v- b0 T* J8 K7 w& W# T, ?0 I7 \> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
! {% W* ^! G2 I6 Q% Y$ r> natural order of things in my son?'
>
% y1 t2 L0 N; C0 p- m+ V* E> 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
6 V- \9 H" a2 y' E> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! o* t* `. B: |> treat that child.'
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9 P. ]1 r5 i4 \> Then he told the following story:
>
2 s4 b/ N: G* \: p6 X( q1 [> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 _$ J% v8 w& {8 b5 F5 j1 A> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# r; t8 g; \8 b> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 T5 T9 W9 ~* o4 D* S$ x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
9 w8 ?% b- n* o6 u>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: E) M$ X6 C4 C: J9 U/ g7 _> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" v: J5 _) L5 {' T4 \$ u8 x> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  |8 K/ e  e# d% {' f3 A> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ P. n' c+ s' X; F> inning.'
* B# ]2 h+ l% u1 c/ _>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* Z. y. r2 H6 m7 c> 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
> 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
> next at bat.
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5 V" o8 l' H* d; f" a: E1 j1 C> 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
  C& x" }4 Z( T> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( U+ ^4 ?; g% I) [( J> much less connect with the ball.
, u$ h4 W# S& J. @5 D1 s> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 a5 [2 ^; S2 ]$ E# a> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 y  ]1 u% f" i8 l- }> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 V6 u4 D; B" G> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
/ M3 n) K4 c  q7 P# Y/ P> right back to the pitcher.
>
! C, ?! K+ k0 S) R; _" `" f6 _, x> 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
1 U3 L! u3 F% ^( Y7 P: ^> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
! Y- |/ X( Z& t9 d: |) ^& ?5 G> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ h3 r3 D" g# Q( h- c> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
4 v4 j, ?" x/ m: m> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
+ f6 c/ \4 x( P) N2 l" t> 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
2 j# O7 w. s: ^7 ~: P5 Y> 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
1 w# ]- c! j* l* x> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
/ n3 @8 Y2 t/ l> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
( I9 K) g* G1 f7 ^> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! }( P0 X! u+ e$ P8 ~> circled the bases toward home.
>
4 u8 `3 U6 D' H0 j$ ~9 z, X( d> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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) \$ V+ w+ O+ M, i5 y* P> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  u; s3 Z4 m# Q* G  V> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' R$ `; d9 @$ Z# D: a> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
% q, V. j7 S$ P$ l8 h9 W. f) J> into this world'.
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9 U/ x- _* R* @> 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
9 V3 Y7 H7 T, b2 g> 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
" {/ c  o: G* G' M, N( w* V* v> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- T* S1 t- n! m! x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 X% p6 x  \/ r& x> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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. O( m$ Z) B3 X* v4 z- ]> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# I2 D( Q1 v2 Z+ E) D1 w> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 Y- \3 t7 |+ m5 e> '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
* e) `- g; r$ f+ x! d1 Q) 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 }7 p5 t, X% D# ]> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 [3 }# h5 m0 _: O1 a> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
1 I6 {! y! v5 b. ~> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 u  i; a) o" S> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.