Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 z6 N! I8 a8 \6 P4 X3 U! f> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 Y# Z# f* R8 a> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! r% J$ e/ J" P. h" J> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 d1 N& Z2 g3 F; X; e! g) |) w> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
3 z/ q, A+ d! K- C/ N7 m+ Y> 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
* E% Q0 e* t' B> 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.'
7 F/ I, T  l" |3 X+ o>
! k7 o. v' E3 ?> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* S4 ?4 Q1 u, b5 w7 l+ G> 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 Z2 B3 u" ?$ y# A> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
0 J$ d5 g2 s, f4 g& M. ?> 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
0 P5 ~0 b0 e0 u" a> 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.'
" k1 w  i# w4 r, p/ @* b>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! v8 Y) p2 q  s6 h' f2 [, |) K> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
4 d" P! G6 i. ^1 L3 c> 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
) H% P4 @7 S' l( F> 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
$ f8 d1 L7 ~' G> 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
. |5 e% p* M$ V# d9 s> next at bat.
) C( Y$ |# [) ?- P2 A/ Z# [>
% X9 z" V* i1 B> 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.
8 v) K$ V" C+ B2 _* J" T  Z> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
' s2 ~4 Z& V7 }; a> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
3 P) ?3 C" Y! j7 H* j! b8 }> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% T: v: n9 {0 h9 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
; f# O6 f4 D1 O% ^- r; ~5 Z0 l- I> right back to the pitcher.
4 P' _6 \5 F$ ^7 c7 N>
" l' y8 M9 \( T% Z# K" |> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& f* S4 u9 X! k+ l/ ]: {) O> 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.
+ @: y: C4 }, `2 d7 f& q# I>
2 Z. _) ?6 W' _6 ?! z" o> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& b# ~8 T7 n) I> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 D& w3 h& K. ?> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
! j: g) A+ C! q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
. s  t& T9 z& S3 T# _> wide-eyed and startled.
! P# I+ R8 f* V6 R' A>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 [3 `- ~+ J2 O! g+ S: y9 p> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 _3 a& y1 k3 n: m' c7 S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 g" T% T; z' j5 Z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
; }/ Q2 W( L3 V7 L2 B3 v0 _: W> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
4 m5 m% J9 A! ^> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
" `* G7 o$ ?( \( [> Shay, run to third!'
, {4 y! P3 w/ n. A2 z3 k  H0 A>
> 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
+ w2 d  }3 v) V0 F+ S! t> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
6 |9 E7 y5 K- ?9 U7 M) `> '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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& i3 n: @) Y0 p1 N$ I1 n4 Z& p> 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!
  ~% I7 j6 B0 s2 y% G0 |; D3 i6 u; @>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; q/ t' j0 k4 F0 P3 I> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
$ ]/ p; L) C+ ^+ h: `> 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.
>
> 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
, u: A$ ]' g: ~' R6 G8 z1 ^, c> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% m% m. u; K$ e1 W5 j> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 v9 H' d; u) }9 h( D8 F1 |> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 s+ t9 S2 F% W# w5 i7 [> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; j- e0 w: O2 ?! v! d8 k9 k> 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
> bit colder in the process?
; ~- N  Y0 W/ M- j# W>
6 a0 o/ e; O8 x, Y* ~! Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% _& c" k$ M8 u% W( V> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
% y, T( b* {# X5 ]2 D1 R> You now have two choices:
! s( G! `5 P7 ?' M) T2 b- n> 1. Delete
' `8 q" N8 F3 u0 _4 U5 \: T> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.