Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 T2 M+ [' i1 m3 m> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& A! l, r* n& H! l% o, c' F> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 K4 X$ J& o4 W' [> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
/ U* ]8 V8 w+ Q( M. }1 H> 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
3 {" p5 c* X# y> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 L4 |% z( r+ J2 P& @. c/ h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
; J3 v0 |: N; z9 B( }  B> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
0 J* E) w- C9 o$ |( d1 Q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> 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:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 l! M4 T# J8 D- Y) u2 m5 z5 `7 i* L7 Q> 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
5 B& L% @! j9 |> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
9 ^/ w9 ^6 X! v+ C3 A2 I1 x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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; S- h: o1 W" ]: p" V6 `: ]> 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
- V, _: C4 Y, g) y6 v% h> 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.'
>
/ G/ X- u% e2 ~; c5 F; ?6 t' N) R> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# {" E( I7 x; F3 K# ]! n* P> 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
/ r; y8 }: R" {' M) f> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- Z1 R+ S: n3 D> 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
% C$ a/ O/ j; K. j% A: z. T> 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
7 V  T! U3 U* R0 n  V> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
9 i7 w3 Z: w# ?: O8 j: ~> 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,
( v! l! b# \, w) M3 m& c> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- j. u& k- ]8 Z1 e- E  J> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ }3 T' @2 A/ v- i3 L) Q> 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
5 R6 c& j. _, L' O. {9 v: g" V) {8 K! n> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 c) k4 p( {5 C4 L> 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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& B4 q4 X# e9 w- t$ A$ V% a> 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
. |# F  u; X3 Y6 N$ ~> 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
: f; k' \* |7 \1 y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
0 G) ^8 @# E  l; y> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 I+ n( j1 J; Q$ x: t$ {> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; @5 H7 J" o3 s; V> 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
( k/ X) K( ?- t3 l. Q& }" D* `# o> 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
  h0 t" k8 T1 h! N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
2 w+ r5 [$ l3 L( [9 \3 V> circled the bases toward home.
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$ x, s0 q- |  j: V> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" M$ i0 X+ t  j# a2 L> 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!'
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> 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
/ H  W* M- }( C- T' j* ?> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
% f! [. o; ~: T# G7 }* p> game for his team.
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> '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
4 ]$ }2 \5 V5 ?2 v' R7 g( j1 t; k> into this world'.
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. I( ^8 U2 n" k$ G! {; K& k> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! Y6 O0 F4 ?9 o; \. R, o, X6 k> 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!
>
6 C$ S+ Q' q) ]> 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
& f, V; P1 Z: N3 d' }! r9 j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" R  @' w  @& l) c> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  a' i$ U: x, T7 W> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
& f! t1 K5 W% |> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
' L5 s3 Q5 w! Z8 b> bit colder in the process?
>
- ?; }' ?. A2 |8 r> 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:
7 c7 O8 k' u& \2 A, _> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.