Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, a; {- [1 r; O1 D> 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
! A& [. N& g$ {7 B) k3 P) m> same choice?
>
. u' w& d3 L' d, u+ N> 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
> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
$ s9 V$ }" G3 w2 w8 [+ E* K; G> The audience was stilled by the query.
4 W4 l" g! m7 \9 O5 j: R7 l( O>
: S7 u! r$ [* e6 @8 E4 O6 ~- `- e> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: A4 e7 J+ c# \* Y" T> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 G1 X  |3 s$ I6 y/ `* a' Q> treat that child.'
1 E: e. L4 a$ X>
; C" i. K! j6 a9 e  w: K> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% w' ^1 w, j* j- V. T> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) \  {1 t- k$ }9 `> 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 k6 }7 W; T> 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
+ s1 g6 L  K8 n6 ?8 y3 {2 I( c" B> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' X' [9 l8 K0 K: X> 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
! g: D& c4 X( o> inning.'
>
9 U' T: S2 t+ {& Y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 z  V. N  J9 `2 r> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
2 g. y  f) y" M& ]. U> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> 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
- }) G. Y, F# ]$ v> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
9 _/ k. Z$ M6 }! S, ?2 B> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
3 a8 x+ J& Y/ U  w6 v3 `) Z> 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
5 I: h: j5 h6 w1 D3 k> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* e  i# n1 d5 r> 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.
> 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
* W$ @+ J$ v8 e$ z5 v% k- |> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
. ~  k1 p9 }/ d' c8 \( u+ O> 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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) S- G0 o1 ~$ h" }) Y+ u, A+ v1 l> 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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$ a( k1 H  m$ |0 ?: X$ h+ I> 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 t4 h3 P3 r. v& @6 l5 O> 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,
9 g$ Q( ]; ~5 M) f2 T% Y4 y> wide-eyed and startled.
>
2 P: ^& o4 u6 p- K- s" M* p' U' y> 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
- G- @* a3 e) B9 q- u5 {3 z2 @$ p> 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
$ r7 \: D3 M9 w> 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
6 T% u# L) [# l/ G) x) `5 C: R1 R0 N4 i> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
* `4 b* V& x& Q8 {>
1 |4 P1 K' Q" E2 M9 o> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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; t/ X1 K8 X4 s9 |- X> 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!
! j0 A2 X  k  H: o  G> Shay, run to third!'
>
9 P2 y( v7 K# C% k/ q' |+ C% H( K> 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
( @  i9 W/ p$ j5 k+ S> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
" [9 l7 r. ]. c) T. b% ~' m* g, B> game for his team.
1 Z9 m" E' l8 Z( N& k>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 E. V2 s$ P( N3 O> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- P+ o8 j4 a4 K, {> into this world'.
>
& E1 H, F# O" K; S" [> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 D/ S/ w) |  e; `" u0 G> 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!
>
+ P3 U0 j* M& T  V5 N' Z6 _+ ?> 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
5 c3 N" |4 d1 t/ D' P8 l3 S> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; ]1 f4 f) ?  q, B! o0 V' d> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% U3 }. ^" B* q4 S> 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
> '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
$ O1 `) k- W) Q> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
0 o# l8 D/ g/ j> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 N4 X7 }; R: B; g$ ?$ A> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
# G& T5 x" r8 F0 {* \6 K' L>
5 d5 E8 U$ C, N$ z: D9 q( B> You now have two choices:
* X' |4 G2 M; q' ^7 x> 1. Delete
3 `# ~& A: R: V. y> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.