Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! B- @' e6 F7 M$ R2 g6 @+ p> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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  }  M& E# u2 ^> 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
& [4 P! t2 C7 s0 P( j> 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
" {8 C4 K& o( |4 F  w( L3 k> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; V5 d, d3 S* x; j> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ J- A0 z' _. D, n5 O3 x1 n: C7 W> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 X, g4 X# Z+ }% c! h! x3 U. Q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  c# J2 z; Z9 O% `0 V> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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; R7 i0 e# z" u6 g5 S> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 i# H: T# ]. }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
4 a$ Z5 V. L: O8 j$ [> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. [4 H* g) l; t> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 d1 h2 c% H" g; ~' ]> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
3 {3 F" W/ t9 b2 R: S> 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
. x5 J" N" ~5 k% L1 y> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
, S7 d/ m% O' O. r/ V> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
0 g; Y% J& g# o* m> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) F3 h( a4 S. f! S3 \- ~0 [( g6 `6 v> 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
% P6 g6 _3 E. d" U- w! n: n0 C> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( h3 H* z, [+ @* l/ R3 ?$ v4 t> 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
( _  J3 [  g3 u: N" v: p> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( j, r5 E' ^! w# {> 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,
9 I/ Z1 _3 d$ O  S2 }> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 u3 I5 o/ [% \$ H2 m$ y2 i& c! p# j> 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
> 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.
( X% e3 a; p. E" S1 [> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 O/ q# n6 b( n3 d" ~> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
5 L8 l% q+ g! N7 A6 o> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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% A! l& R7 @. C> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
" @# W0 w- A! c. }! t' o! w$ D> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" ]8 J) D+ U  }" P% k+ [( q) _5 f# Z> 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,
& _0 h' n3 c' L' ^> wide-eyed and startled.
>
6 I& ?( G2 {) |+ G* i> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ J" f" E: d# e9 z# x. {) T* {> 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
9 D( S: M- ?" o1 m4 J- f/ [> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ _* k' s2 x: Q$ T# r& O> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
- u6 T# F4 U8 D0 W9 y3 N- b: 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
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 q  l: K# x( O> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 @% w# |1 y  @6 k/ [4 o5 n> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! |: H& v: E3 X& U; U; }( U> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
7 M( y4 J' w: F0 C+ W: B> into this world'.
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: r/ v5 F6 V% d; d' X> 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
> 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
> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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* [4 o% t7 b* i# U> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 \4 X9 E7 y; M0 i4 A6 L' g6 r. |> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. m8 W2 C8 S' V$ O! K! p$ I1 p% z> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
: n2 A* B" b/ |2 ~1 P> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 J+ i8 p; O2 E0 K; M> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 q- e6 }2 `% ^, k> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
6 r6 v# J/ u: G  w  T> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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/ [. [# @) X: M) q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 r" U( }$ x  X# M> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
) E1 _  u0 v; M/ Z2 K& A  I7 m> You now have two choices:
3 q6 Q* |( W5 ]7 V. v+ U> 1. Delete
9 D/ l6 B0 u4 F$ g3 o9 \> 2. Forward
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3 |. V! o' d: U" U" n) |> May your day, be a Shay Day.