Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' }. v: U- l5 @# w- z4 p  K9 _% G  f> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* H0 @: D! K! z9 z4 u) e% {> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 t8 E5 l: _/ i1 p2 T> 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:
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0 ]+ ~7 N' ?, S) i> '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?'
>
/ H% q5 d; `- v5 O+ c> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
  \0 |& C& q8 v$ F> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 E  x! u# o4 d# \3 ]5 S# X* b* s> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 K7 K5 v2 x! |# a3 E% [> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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/ \1 ?  e0 `6 ]* d( N4 Q> 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
4 \3 l# ^. V% ^" U. y> 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
# o! T0 j3 d/ g& z! D! O> 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
2 U/ f! O3 U" k0 C1 d0 I5 l7 [/ S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ ~" r+ m% c! \' Y> 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 A6 n2 y3 G& [8 H1 ]> 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
( u7 |: \7 r5 t+ d1 k4 L1 @  y> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: [& {: d/ W' I. ^> 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
7 \, c' Y3 i. }4 E, Z9 K  S5 s6 H> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
# `+ w( T. K& ?> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& X0 h( I1 Z2 D' U! @> 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
& W" ~; H" o/ M> next at bat.
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; E3 N7 T+ p- I> 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,
. D5 Z" M$ x  g, r> much less connect with the ball.
, K4 k0 m% l: ]; d+ [, N* X> 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
( Q$ a# S4 @. s& F8 g> 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.
5 i- {; o' m! l* ^7 c2 l9 V> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
0 I! P0 t4 F: x% T8 ~6 \: o> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# `: ^6 u( `( [- o> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
9 o# r$ e9 ?5 e$ Z8 v0 a6 o5 b. \> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> 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
8 {; \5 V* g  z' l+ N> 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.
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> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
3 \: k# j) t7 u> 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
% \$ E9 T9 X. ^8 @$ A( r2 q! n> 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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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 Z2 a1 g( W: V" b4 |7 k> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
# q; g$ Y* d- Q' i% I> 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
> 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
5 }& Y& _% E" i) |: X# \3 h> 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
6 }# T+ |' K2 z5 n, i4 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
6 g. U; y7 n# Q3 b* B6 U- w+ s% w> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> '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
+ n7 ^$ J- D5 y& S6 P7 y& f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  Z) t- P& N5 }; {* B0 X$ n> 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
5 I+ o2 }" A- e* \> bit colder in the process?
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3 X0 I+ O$ C5 u; p- k7 E0 i+ b! G> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* f' p, N$ p" j& K: P' K> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' M' p/ J# g% u2 }> You now have two choices:
$ a+ G' v2 D7 }+ N6 }3 O> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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& J- B1 A  ?  U> May your day, be a Shay Day.