Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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, G8 P/ ?1 f2 \+ W4 f> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  \, q7 w* O$ d9 T  }3 t# I& ^> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 c( T: \* S+ k$ Y> same choice?
>
3 P1 ~: \0 R% b> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" P4 n8 Z& x) E* D; {> 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
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( Q( c9 }! ]1 N, b, `& v> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' I7 p3 E8 q. D2 ^. G> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 M' D4 L, O: `% Y> The audience was stilled by the query.
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9 K2 j# c7 e- |- a> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 H5 z! X$ D& O3 h$ S( V> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 \7 n7 N- P" }+ G, A> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; |% }2 J' o! V2 j% N6 a* ^> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: F! S7 q% D# |8 g  \/ u( @> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
1 W9 ^* w2 H2 V4 q> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 R  C" r# @- u> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
8 o! k# ~# q% s> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
2 y. b! t* i6 v' n> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
( J9 n7 m) _, G8 b> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* w$ k: A1 e$ R: ^5 }8 Y8 y> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
3 |# m2 z5 q, R! S; F, D  t5 I+ `$ C> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
6 w3 a$ i* ]7 V5 t0 l2 f> 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
> next at bat.
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> 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,
& I* F3 G1 ^% H# J2 S5 I* K> much less connect with the ball.
' U( R8 q6 T) o, o3 T( l3 i" ?> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  {& x# b# [/ b0 q% d- [  I0 v% I> 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
5 H4 h# o! O0 c$ A7 v- D- H+ }1 R. L> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
. ?: Y# C% [8 F  T> 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
" A2 S0 O! _- K5 }5 K> right back to the pitcher.
  U+ ?% z: \5 ^5 A: ?0 ^>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' p+ N3 S: Q9 R7 T> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
( y  M7 O% N" Z& y> 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
( ^5 h- ]. G/ r> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ n: m( s. i6 |2 w> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& l) X& E6 d+ a1 _> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- H+ g& o7 {$ g! [9 @> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ z  @! Z3 I. c0 l- t> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# _" D% X0 h7 T6 W> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
7 z- z5 W% ]' ]& }/ H> 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
1 _3 c0 y& c7 J. N$ J> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, F9 s. l% l1 F& f' }> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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3 [. x& a# K8 j/ G> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 ^4 [: D' i: n6 w3 i0 A! I> 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
  E" ]! F% d2 z& O> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> 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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! g) u& [6 S% ]8 K> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) x3 z' U4 e  e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
. `+ A6 m9 M) W7 r> into this world'.
>
> 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
2 x# W6 v' H, J2 M' v> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
6 C# P) ?% H$ i$ G0 l> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) s: y+ q% B3 E8 u; }> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, f+ o4 R+ f3 B& |' P2 W> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ y7 x2 Q5 o" Y9 }9 ^( r9 k> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> 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
. L, |* \) a, z7 _> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 g2 O5 u- d4 V- N" Z. `, B> bit colder in the process?
>
6 t! T: o' w1 ^0 J> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.