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
> same choice?
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> 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:
>
> '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
, p- f5 {# D8 w( u1 Q> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 d2 ]9 _3 C3 w5 Q> 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.'
>
> 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
> 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
> 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
( J, C- A4 g8 @8 d> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 n6 h+ G/ j0 ?/ r% k8 A% e> 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
& ?$ s3 P0 T5 `> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( U. B5 V( L, C) \> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) K! e/ G% |  n% b> 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
, ^" A3 S& q& D9 Y" _2 y) D: @> 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
* q5 ?& g; r$ L( O0 G3 q2 i> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ i$ Y7 H0 b- Z1 K( w& L> 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.
6 n* u, {  I) e/ V4 l5 U0 ^> 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
$ Z* V7 Y5 D, h* h0 o1 X4 h! U. X> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 T' y! z2 q- @$ S/ i> 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.
- ^- ]  {. n5 X3 q  h8 K> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 M( G4 l0 P, L, q, i4 j> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" Z- c8 ]1 B2 D* ~+ A> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
4 }2 T% H! V& z& N> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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# G( ]3 _, g) D> 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
& `) H: f& }* Y$ \' \> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) S$ W0 q3 M- S% O& z0 h* v# \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: x  o5 j& ~+ @, A; ^' R> wide-eyed and startled.
>
1 y, v4 {8 T1 w" p' v! ~4 c# T9 E> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 m( c  m6 e, a: m> 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
4 T0 a4 s4 ^4 r* T) B( q& x- U> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& ?) F+ w- j4 @& h! a> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
) `6 |6 t* f9 n> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
! G1 w/ K. c7 k* Q" ?8 {3 M> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
( X! R9 X; z& n8 {% T, z: O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! I8 y6 r- v; Q% p. ?> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
  H8 D/ x. e; N! G> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- Q$ {* U9 E4 X, w& b/ d> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 l9 ]. h% I0 \% }> Shay, run to third!'
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" r; V7 `. r: q+ f* H) q> 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
1 T9 t& d- V; x> game for his team.
>
8 \  A0 G' n! p7 r# n' S- F> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) c7 h: X* i4 g1 ^7 u> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
  {/ }9 f; D8 ^5 C> into this world'.
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/ c2 q( D* K1 C> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 z  o, j$ @  M6 v3 O> 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!
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0 l+ L2 Q( f$ ^, E9 q; K' i/ W> 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
. {( N& m+ h, O' i> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' r4 M4 A( Q! x3 P/ U' p5 u> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 x5 V* q1 n5 U) R  q/ B+ p4 m: O> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 w1 A9 L- b0 x7 z8 z- b1 V> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
. p/ q/ q& D4 I> 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
' {# [1 O) F- s9 W: y0 }0 B0 T; @> 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
5 G8 E" K, F& A> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
! l" F$ O' C! p  i) t> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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2 j0 g" f5 p, ^> May your day, be a Shay Day.