Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 n; ]8 k  }! b/ ]1 F% I+ X> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
. g7 e( ~7 _3 S& O7 Y/ ~> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 b: H' R8 p! T$ N4 ?5 Q> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
6 m2 e0 g3 c. ^2 P> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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! j( H1 \4 @2 n2 R. }> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
$ J% J" S. @% G+ O7 M> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# O$ k- r. u1 @6 @> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% ^$ m5 N, Y; @9 u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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( ~( f; }1 D6 L; z, j( C> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
8 {5 _+ @  L, v$ J1 ?4 V  U> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
  T: G0 B: L) P& O8 a> 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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0 g3 R2 F0 U% Q5 R4 a, E' d& v> 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
1 l# _4 F# I' ~! I. @6 K> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 k- d4 Y; m8 [: s7 W+ `3 x> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. R! R# v) M, R3 t2 \, H% J7 ~3 a> 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
( q; @+ X' y( `$ ]. R/ N9 A  G> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  o8 `% v: m; O+ h6 ~" c1 L$ H1 C> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) y( R/ O3 w' u+ M. x1 z. N> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
* ~, t/ `6 a, B) A4 f7 J> 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
, x' I: ]) x) H5 q6 P2 s> 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
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. s3 {9 f( [: Q8 W> 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
" P$ L# M+ g( h/ R: s4 `0 p9 n> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 m9 F6 E' L- g> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, }5 T. ?6 _2 y) {! b> 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.
; k! k1 e2 r/ U, R: f: p> 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, [; S0 u, G, V> 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
1 S. ?, y# P$ \" g9 {! h5 f2 J> 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
* e' a- k& y) H5 W' X% I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
- E- B" D  }$ M) n! u> 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
" {6 i1 G; S( j0 Z) u% q0 Y> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
7 y* Y8 o& D6 I0 t/ p" E> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: \1 z1 i3 ?6 P' t. ~& _* _> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" U9 I, p! c  S/ m+ ^> 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
> 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'
>
- ]8 p+ V4 C9 O' w+ _/ R+ ]0 J> 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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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* t: ^8 b; w5 o; N> 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.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. u3 J+ {  O" w/ Q, ?& C> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
$ J! J; z9 g- c7 L> into this world'.
>
. Y! `8 \7 s3 V( H  ~6 g4 x& r- c> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. q+ L- k  ?1 B* H6 I> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> 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
7 a) i  r1 I0 }) W3 I> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 e4 [+ n' G# V% F> 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.
5 o$ n1 w+ D9 Y! R! X>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; \; t' ~0 l5 f! w) X  l% L9 X> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% Q& U( P; q: z* F5 B6 H1 k> '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
> 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
5 e& s% \& {2 _& W0 |( n> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: C9 B3 t* c5 V5 R7 B6 p1 O> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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" w& N) d: _8 k9 b  m0 h> You now have two choices:
( b# n7 m& v% ?! {$ H# G- f' L> 1. Delete
* o* l. M& l: P& f% H> 2. Forward
>
; \! U  T. l7 g$ m- D( P( B8 ]> May your day, be a Shay Day.