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
> same choice?
>
1 \  q+ F  q: M3 _> 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
" d% {5 j4 V" y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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% |2 W1 ^. r3 z0 }4 N5 s" B; q> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 `2 W+ S/ {1 |$ r2 x8 \; _' s> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
$ r( b, d  Y% O5 e: U& D! b> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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- Z3 T( K! x( D% d8 D& ]> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
5 [$ e: R% E! S, r( p% U. n+ r> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: n0 q9 z- M+ P+ v; l) T& @> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
  M5 e3 B+ |; ~; D3 d+ r6 j> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
, T. s" h* n2 p8 _# f> 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
, u* v" f' o' I( Q0 [! V: l> 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.'
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9 q6 p4 Z5 ?9 l: \" \> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 P' [& X0 d9 l) o" r" j8 y> 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
8 ]3 T+ `! X) i$ 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
> 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
9 C4 v( T/ W- P* M> 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.
>
: {- Z# b* ^  V9 g6 N1 A> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
2 F: q$ n* I! |> much less connect with the ball.
( H" S+ ?  I& p% U! t& \$ d) e> 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
! Z; Y, G1 i7 U1 p$ q* j. l> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( N9 u0 j' f8 p9 J> 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
# Y6 L# I! |" B> right back to the pitcher.
>
# d' ^5 ^: {# x& [> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 e. @9 H; I7 n: x( v0 C> 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.
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) v) c* k: E. K4 V3 h3 n> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# n$ C% u" K9 T- J0 z  ^$ _" ]3 ^> 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
$ R3 t, |# x, l% K, Y& P5 z8 d+ J> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
0 P. |0 i/ x4 W7 R> wide-eyed and startled.
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6 S$ a% j* x# Y3 k- a3 V) ~: ]& N> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, b  H' G% [9 p, J/ f3 q> 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
8 \1 V  S3 [' T2 M) a& x> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ A6 ~. `  ]  P0 |> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
2 {: `, q& q7 o( V! ?% p5 X  w> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
' f- Y# j* h3 ]1 `9 ?( H. r& D' @> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ N$ O: r! p8 [+ I4 s4 W> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!'
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% @6 l' ~/ U- g- N* b> 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
' z, F2 a; N) P! \2 _3 L2 s1 _> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 c( z  ?: s3 J3 K> game for his team.
>
* f, O: P9 P# \% {' G3 A4 j> '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
! r- Q$ S' f7 G% y' W" Y+ `> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
  j. a. J6 S9 `> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
! s: [% E' q2 M/ Y, S9 Y% R+ Q> 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
! L5 x: X! }3 D' D' C" ~> 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
% b9 S: U, z  m+ @* M> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 g( ^2 k* `. b7 V6 I' J> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
8 t* Z# _- x* R4 i( M1 l> 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
  B7 {+ \! o: U' y* d  L> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 ~% x/ H. }3 H9 G+ G" _> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
+ Y; L: N0 s- r3 p1 w1 Z5 m) d9 Y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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; p7 k) |2 C% R) T/ o6 W. 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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> You now have two choices:
8 D0 ~- ?9 D2 M. L4 A> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.