Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
* ~* ~0 j$ h/ ?0 p) }' N4 X> same choice?
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) W0 a; W& {( O> 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
$ _4 p5 L9 S" o+ G4 E> 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
! O1 x8 ]6 W, V> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 ^. C) _% f5 J" H  \> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' j: R/ n! {  N9 d> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
' d/ p& H' E3 o4 a/ m5 k: C> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 p, @' v$ K1 A9 t/ ~3 [$ I% E> treat that child.'
>
# U1 r2 ]! d5 L/ [) P7 Q! \! Z6 U5 [> Then he told the following story:
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8 l9 q& Z) r, ?& k9 e> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 {, ^! P9 T0 ~& S5 A> 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
/ h: p0 M/ L! D3 K> 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
' a+ J# e: M" z7 D> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
$ J5 E( S* }: N5 I) c) N> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
# e2 _- v4 p* @- N& ]* g> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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" u: e* G$ H7 f> 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
6 {$ C5 }* l) p6 h* t> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" K  F: q: K# i/ [) K> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* P7 [- X) M$ x% I$ ]. c; A) L> 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
9 f, p' W! x3 D> 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 |. \: M1 T! f4 Y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
3 g3 `3 ^& I. `+ N* h+ l> next at bat.
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: }# w) Z# G) R; V> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# I& I1 s$ x" ]" v( q9 x# |> 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.
# S- C7 s: {( E9 A6 C> 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
* _9 r8 _$ Z! g4 J9 @> 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.
: B1 s! Q, c/ u> 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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( h/ D1 h4 O: N> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* w8 N" C" U5 ~4 m; ?> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 ~: I9 P8 K1 h; D6 u! u> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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& ^* u- k; B, z> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 p. K# c2 Z% L> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: @' ]5 |+ O, B! B5 g* W> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 v$ q: }( A- ^& A4 r> 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
: H9 G) \( M" m> 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
2 p7 T* g' r# f5 x, A2 |& t; V> circled the bases toward home.
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- U) Q3 D* c" |: L> 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!'
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8 t! p6 k( a2 K* L> 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
% z' y+ x1 s# U9 [> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, x: y: @" \' \5 u# V) T  m0 b. \. s> game for his team.
>
5 f& U8 V/ J. \0 B" n$ _> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 a. M+ ]8 s' w+ E> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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/ a. G  y1 E- @0 A" }/ T! \% v> 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
> 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
+ O7 Z+ h# K: i! R* u9 ]2 k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
9 X/ v, B5 R, I; ^8 X> 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$ {- g" `3 |% ~/ ~0 Y- @9 X7 w> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
: H2 X  G3 D6 l. a& B9 o> 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
( ]$ G4 u' l* H5 [; `> 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
$ D2 A" T5 I1 a, M! S> bit colder in the process?
>
: B7 E) p  `$ j* t& a> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' `* c3 H  ]7 v9 M' k1 i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
+ t* E/ C1 Y( d> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.