Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; q1 a% W& d( F; X& S- ?, [8 Z$ D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 G7 D% D, m6 E& b+ ]& p> 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
- D$ O3 [4 C7 M2 R* [+ p> staff, he offered a question:
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" ?& k+ a7 A3 ]* F5 X) |> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 m+ n* j) V1 F6 k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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8 [- ?  Y5 c. [0 e/ B: Q8 u/ m( w> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 H, Z2 k7 g+ C> 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:
>
/ N. [( A. e; {# _> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
& v* m" J% B9 x& x# b# P> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
. u0 E; l" _3 R" g4 \" z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* D1 K, v9 E7 ~> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) u9 j% i0 P0 O> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
5 C8 A: R  k+ p& @7 i> 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
) o9 ^) B7 A* Y+ }; o9 Z> 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
3 q! `1 E$ J6 K2 d9 E1 j) R. w0 v> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 y) Y' l) O3 y> 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
! }* f  @: {$ u1 m3 Y0 W2 `7 i  f3 _> 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
' j1 @) M5 |" H6 L6 n> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
: r- P3 c4 ?$ F3 K. J$ z; ^; }0 @7 W> next at bat.
>
- N$ k" o0 c7 N0 W+ }9 |> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 S9 q; Z+ }1 d5 S> 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.
+ H! m2 {- l: I' z+ X& h9 z9 x> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  j, {8 u" l/ N' W9 D; E> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
4 o4 q% W4 b6 d. W+ S> 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
9 ~5 f" ~# }; J" j> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# h2 F6 e: u! Z6 A. i3 R/ z> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' S& x' {4 T: N3 \/ T& S+ f> right back to the pitcher.
>
7 d& D" k! \6 [4 @. |% g+ K( b> 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
$ c" x0 m* c: W3 j' g> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
' W! O3 C  H0 L  T1 i+ G> 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
0 T! q- z! P7 ^8 {> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ g5 _4 `& ~& z( s' Y> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
% \; [8 f: \7 \> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
6 U* P3 q4 V/ G& _> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 J5 a' }4 r0 ?0 x* }> 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
2 D9 a: A9 H% n0 L4 o- U4 m- _> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
8 S" e+ |: _* r. h% U! f> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! H) S. z% M, h* o3 G, p> 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
# u) D6 t7 U3 r# z3 x+ Y) N> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 q4 G* v0 W9 i/ w" b  b& X- g: Q3 V> 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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7 y! z) w; n3 k9 k/ X; F" L$ D: x0 U> '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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! u( U: S% U8 v$ B' W' ?: R) V! J> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 s- W* M) Z$ I1 G! t8 t> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& P8 ?2 O) n. ]5 N> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' m1 J9 `6 X& I" ~2 t+ _> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' t% z* H( }' }" \0 Y4 B, j1 P; X- O; |> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
& S1 {2 O1 T1 z' K% l7 D> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% |' T: T) x+ u3 _> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
3 T& R' t# f  j" k) F3 j5 G> '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
( z1 ]! |% `5 @> 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
8 q' G& J6 N6 \2 O> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" |$ b: \; s2 J% B( m: K> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' U# w' F% y5 m3 {> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 R( k, x7 G2 [& s* E> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
  G3 Q' l; l) @1 I9 s9 J& o4 s> 2. Forward
>
$ g( E- {( O3 j> May your day, be a Shay Day.