Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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% m4 \& ~) L- @' z0 i> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 F' f4 D0 E! {4 {; y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
5 z6 m" j& y  g* P9 i# \> same choice?
>
# g: T! Q- M2 W: b" o1 q. F2 k> 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
. F- ?/ g9 t+ ]; B7 ^, e" p> 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
2 H8 {+ `, A$ f- Z- m# z> 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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9 x+ I# X2 x' \9 Q" ]> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 K4 Z) i" x' q7 I8 ?> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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6 s/ ]% f$ _& g9 H" H> 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
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
! K1 ^$ \- S. C" ^' N> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 T+ w% W; V- w, N8 L> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& v) h& c- X0 P! m/ o: ~& O+ V> 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
6 P  w% a! m2 I$ r, L> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* B! n3 h: c' @( T6 N> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ x7 l4 H$ O8 a7 c8 @3 ?> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 A' p. b7 \; d& L8 r# M> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 u; e+ ~* n: ^) ]* E> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. J7 r: X9 a! _2 q/ k! Q> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
  q: r) _2 [$ m6 R& L' R> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 V% U. ^; u8 @# y8 C5 t8 p> 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
! H/ n* N! `# i( f3 \; m- t: c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ P0 Z2 V& H: K* W- g0 K6 P/ m! ]9 ~> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ F8 D: l  c9 Y5 U2 ?> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
# O. M1 ?" n$ c& x: M# U1 F> 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
$ V  y" k9 A# n# a' _. P- Y- ?8 d* I. q> 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
" r# E: V' q7 V. Z> right back to the pitcher.
>
% _$ ~. [0 y; z; F5 g> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 P# F* T# X( e6 g' o> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
3 ^( g% c6 }$ d- s9 _> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
2 z9 L4 i: J' y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
$ Q5 d. E& L; r" Q& K> wide-eyed and startled.
>
2 Q5 E' q! s0 i6 \& _: m+ L9 ^> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 W8 h% w. \  t! U# y4 v) |' Y> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" Q9 P" u6 Y; I0 l/ T6 _; G> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ b7 \( b* Y/ Y/ H> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 I4 _5 O; i0 g> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
9 H% N6 T6 ^# V$ \> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
0 f/ \. ?" E6 C: c, z> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
5 ~( g$ ]3 j( j+ U, A, m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
* a! P/ r! N- R2 r( f+ o> circled the bases toward home.
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5 o- W: R, R7 m8 z$ ?4 a/ j> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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7 b- e3 I" `% T1 R0 H> 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!
; P, k' W0 X0 e( ]* k; S> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# A; L! T, [$ e+ ]> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
( h2 O+ a- }: h/ T  U1 y" R0 }6 q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 L6 k+ R/ g6 Z+ P- h> game for his team.
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% `) `1 G; S) d4 d( f: V' [> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, z& x! g3 s4 J0 h6 {4 v) \> '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
: U0 x& r7 f1 w> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  T' h# a5 X% I6 I) p9 m> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* G" y' S; j4 w! A4 D> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! |: m1 P! t' Q. i> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# f5 H' a5 n9 R$ i) r! u. |) z3 p> '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
' j. S+ u1 r% h! \$ i8 p> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 R, Z4 j6 T0 \> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 E2 L) i$ F. e# W$ l> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
' L1 r! ~. M+ }: e4 J> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ T1 i* W' a! f2 ]0 Y* s3 X> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: }( \1 t7 ~: Z) [) ~> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
# ?, k2 x$ I" [+ P> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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, U# ~" ^4 m& w" [$ I0 ^> May your day, be a Shay Day.