Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 [' F! a3 d/ g7 h5 {> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% E8 @. _# k3 [: H  f% I> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
9 B! v$ U+ d( B: [* [2 J> same choice?
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. J$ @8 s2 u$ K! }: F> 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
& E2 p& i6 q( w6 L' L/ I> 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
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 Z" p3 j! L& G4 l4 \6 n> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, @9 e- p: _/ Z0 S' i> treat that child.'
>
$ r/ h5 V& N$ C> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 G8 z- F. T/ J> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) A. A& M; `3 ]2 ?* g) o> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
5 a3 e3 G3 T4 J8 |/ b3 Z1 M> 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
! |! A; Z. s4 H: a! H" M  x> 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
> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& q; v( f8 a0 N1 `2 y0 s) V> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 T+ J$ K7 l  d> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
$ ^6 v# [4 i1 Y5 e7 b> 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
0 R# ?; W+ N/ d- ?* S1 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
! E6 L  j/ p0 U" v: u+ q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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5 I  X4 R2 P- g4 v! r  }) o' @> 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
' m: N: j! n+ ^, R$ `& u7 q> 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
> 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.
> 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
> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 {2 n7 z( ?6 Q& {$ ^> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
8 C7 o+ ^$ M* F5 l$ q5 U> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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! q) s# M, N1 Z( z% n& E> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 v* ~. i( ]4 v7 B2 _> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
3 C' m( f6 x1 E0 `: f7 ~> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
; U3 y2 {% B6 ~. z/ ^! s* A9 f> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
- {; F- v2 n, p' n: W> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
* i5 z5 }7 h* F" x0 y$ n> 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'
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; Y+ j6 q  m1 C* k, @$ p> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 B' P% m& u- x- l* A> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
2 E! G; O8 `" x> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
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' A- N, C% E2 ]- \  I8 P1 h( a: Z> 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
% F& |/ o3 u+ v% ?, A8 U- b: k) [> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
) m8 N& j! J4 c5 @1 C; \# i> 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
' [. F) h- M  K7 W9 z: d; q( n> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 G  p$ ?0 J0 b3 d) o. B0 W> 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
- [* d: t- ^1 n! U- ?: D2 ?> '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
% r  _) C  E5 e3 o- U> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
/ A4 E: m1 ?8 @" q1 W! s> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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8 v  t- c* v  Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 B8 O0 \& s7 Y0 z- O* I# }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 D# q) U; ?) b/ O; B5 `. x> You now have two choices:
3 z/ H1 L# F+ J$ a% [" p7 o> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.