Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; d2 N* i+ m& d1 U9 n* r& x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
, O# v: h8 M( @; x. h4 Q> same choice?
, Y7 Z# t; u1 i6 n1 d>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% X- {* M3 P' s' s> 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:
5 M& R# x* \% h4 H' {8 y( M: f>
( E$ }6 o$ {% _> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
& J0 N1 M! e: v; J' m( k' S, |>
) }, c8 a7 q9 I3 {7 j& u> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% k  H# Z  v3 T/ P7 Y& [/ S: k> 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.'
; j" h8 `) u2 v5 M* k; S% k>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; v& k2 q& H1 @- _  d" `> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
" f$ m7 ]$ V. r' k. ]& m4 _> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, d3 B$ m2 n' R8 C( C. }# N> 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
$ X- {3 G: k& l% J2 y, \> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
> 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 p) l# S, ^9 b% ^. u) D9 |> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) x! i1 d# }$ t) O: p7 n2 f> next at bat.
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4 _  ~/ Q) p& e/ \; U5 u6 h> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 j6 n' v$ J0 V. Q! `> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! o" h- ^2 }! q; F/ o* v- N( o: u> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
0 Z' P  w% T# |/ ?> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 x/ T! {! K) k+ |> 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
> 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
2 x( \0 L) i% J" y/ v- Z7 C  G> right back to the pitcher.
>
9 e. ~$ d- 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
7 k6 M7 Q2 V" S- ]> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; V. d1 Y; q$ N$ O/ I; \' S+ W> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
. l- B0 f" e" E9 i8 F2 c, r: P8 Y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ [2 B2 U" b0 y7 P2 l1 ~> 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
> 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
7 ?4 s5 `( C- t: h$ I. G! ^6 `> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
" U' }, R4 J% W7 B> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> 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
/ g3 a! B  c( I- _# A> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
, U3 i$ s9 u6 C  l. ?> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- C& i: }; ?% b9 a/ p6 L0 e> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! U2 C, r8 I* }; K$ j  X> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 B. l& m2 r: ^8 r  M% m  Z7 Y> 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
: r; ?& k! v- }> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- Q" o/ Y% {, s5 W+ C; `; Q1 k> game for his team.
>
> '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
9 b1 V7 d( ?2 Y. T# v7 G> into this world'.
9 |0 f# N  N1 e' X3 l' Y>
8 y$ ]& u  D+ F; D) h> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% E" g( a; ?7 Z# {> 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!
>
) Z8 K7 Y) s4 N$ ~> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
( Y6 E/ ?  o/ d8 }) Z# |4 ]> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* Z( f/ y$ t" s! t( ]0 s. Y! m& I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- a& P+ r, s- o- A9 z5 u> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
3 Y8 t) H4 P2 e6 f> 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
; F5 H. ~' j3 h> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! \+ {; Q4 P3 y- ~" m$ }' J> 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
9 X4 P8 g1 \$ P% H, `> bit colder in the process?
# J1 i; B7 m. e. `3 M>
  X5 S( w! g" C/ ]; i2 P# A* D> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 K% h/ @1 m' a4 w>
> You now have two choices:
* j5 `# z% l% S, \> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
6 l1 Z% d0 a4 C! e: J# X. m> May your day, be a Shay Day.