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
3 q$ }4 X+ S, c2 v( q! |, z> same choice?
>
' [$ y3 D4 v. R. k  ]> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; y' Q, o3 u# j: O> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. z0 C8 u9 ?; }/ n> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! N7 O( S1 r* x8 X, G4 }+ N> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ f0 r5 c+ g2 h- o) o> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  h7 {9 P0 |  D; o> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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2 [2 M' M) s: H; I> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ |0 ?; Z- t7 a  i> 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
: g" k- g/ H1 ?( b/ h% f, D5 y$ B$ e> 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
# _3 L) B. D" m6 J> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ l/ [+ K$ j* X9 @3 v> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* r7 D$ Q$ N4 I) L* Y> 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.
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> 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
1 {- a9 d* K' T4 B* U8 W) H> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
% X* c# T6 z8 J> inning.'
>
) K$ u0 p. |+ v( c1 x> 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
> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  X" G4 T. S# b: l> 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
$ R! m" h; _& p> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
% q  [( k7 c0 l" F+ _! J# E> next at bat.
>
- r: h5 Z1 F& P> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ ^- S" `. V; m- d( d- G1 G) I> 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.
( ~+ v5 D/ |. O3 d& T> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 l1 S( _: k4 E  b" Q& Z9 @+ 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 G$ I+ Q( Y2 k; g5 I) ?' |% f> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
$ e  J" ]( j' x" T> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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* k( ~  x! E. @# f4 o9 S1 h& K> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 k$ Q, m5 y  L: u. V7 X> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
5 r2 [: W' V( ~% F3 G' [> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
3 ]# G; c8 {2 y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
. I$ {5 P, M% s> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 o: Z/ O# v  c2 [, X- d' T> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 @" R% N7 Y8 W2 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
8 L& v! D2 I8 f8 h. r> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 Q" t5 Q- y) P9 x7 C> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
/ N( m$ X0 n5 l> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 X7 Z+ p$ n% V0 z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; _! v9 p0 e1 i2 ~' K" G' E> circled the bases toward home.
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3 }; Z1 l$ I, x8 T* I7 t* n* \3 L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!'
>
) d2 {: g' P  K  m1 H4 m( k% t> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 s: N& F, c/ P1 z> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! b- E1 z% d$ @9 L( Q, C$ x: k- B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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& J) \3 C! m' |' c> 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
+ B% @1 D' z8 Z& B2 P3 A4 f> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
7 a: J2 Z( r! H$ t> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& y1 O. p: T: |/ x! t0 F' H, Z> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
8 P; X8 g3 g$ q3 O> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
" a7 B, ?/ T0 |+ L/ {> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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' {2 V/ P  T8 l  }; f  @; L( Z> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
$ k- j* W8 q! @  i+ O% r+ b- d> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! j; H8 X( W9 [" g9 q> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
/ z; d1 B; y0 t, U- j/ `> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" |6 y7 G+ k8 Y* {# k6 g> bit colder in the process?
>
) B. f6 Q1 j; W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: ^0 @  n1 g9 R; I! q' k> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
6 I8 w" f- u( F5 ~0 T7 G5 U. {: @> You now have two choices:
1 P. Z% Y" l1 j" p& f$ T# C2 R> 1. Delete
6 Z0 L' Y# k3 S  {8 k> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.