Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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3 O2 x, D* C2 ?" ~4 b! r3 s8 i> 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
& E) |% B7 V. J! I5 n% y> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  q, |% w) b- t: g> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) A$ o# v$ A( j0 H, h+ h1 l+ y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
! V8 |8 G  P$ c  y$ q& h> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" N4 ^& n0 W; W* B> 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:
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! ^. y. Y& z4 M9 Q+ t, I0 y$ ^. ^> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ n" Q: V! Z& v) {4 C> 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
9 G9 {* N4 G/ V& }* A" p* \> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
$ c) X; f6 F7 L9 N) K' h> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 F! v# S0 n  c) g> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& x- m1 ^, i# @> 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
/ Z# }4 N, Q" L$ P5 ^> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! l/ g- U6 m) k1 j$ ?- L> 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
( H9 l+ v- j6 `5 t> 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
; g$ B, Q& ]9 T( V7 ^; h> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' S  J9 j1 [9 O> next at bat.
>
  B* B2 k! }1 Q- L3 }0 X> 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,
> 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
6 e0 _! c- F! b- @  e> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% j- X3 r) _0 W% y  Q8 T/ Z> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 b. U9 i- g/ A7 i% {9 l/ M- k> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
/ f' P* m9 E& B> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" F! N! v* d$ I7 @0 H' ?" x> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
1 J+ I5 {& Y: O% u+ f7 M( m> 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
* l1 f0 E. U- O2 Q2 f> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* a- ?3 c; E1 w> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: b4 R9 t: B/ S- @) h4 j9 f  B! r. o6 k> wide-eyed and startled.
>
5 j( l6 d3 h2 u/ U> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
5 I4 F% D9 T- K/ G  z; F6 [> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> 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
# y) ^1 ?- Z" D: }8 x5 x1 G2 h> 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!
# g+ H* W0 j% E: U> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. V* L; u5 Z* l2 r> 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
1 W0 p7 u2 C: ^8 r. I* m- M) v> game for his team.
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# ?4 \1 Z4 ^& o% B4 Q1 o> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, J& F4 M' S1 w" M$ H! D> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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
" K  V, Q3 g4 H( Y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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" z; e* @- {2 n5 F> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. Q" y! E, Q7 C; f: K# Y6 G5 I> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( ?- v1 z5 I2 \' t7 m* a  d> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 k/ j( U6 j% r5 n7 h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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4 ?8 v: I, z" G7 E& {> 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
# c* I' T# i( Y& ?/ [, L) X> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% S* _, }5 F  |, ]$ N# k> 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
2 M- ]! c8 a* m  L> 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
+ a/ C$ }, G+ N# \6 R* l! L> bit colder in the process?
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& ^. t1 T' w; \8 f3 `  ~> 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:
. d  p5 Z! A* M' s* _$ O> 1. Delete
0 D0 E& d) d. }; E. C1 M* F> 2. Forward
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& ~" G$ v4 u: n  k' ]7 Q9 l- [> May your day, be a Shay Day.