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
7 F' [& r8 ]) V! ]& ~7 b7 V> same choice?
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3 x0 G; l- }* Z. ^4 a; {  |> 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
$ q0 s; p8 K  p, L7 ^4 U9 m1 ]> staff, he offered a question:
>
6 U0 J8 u" F& p' a> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* ?. ~/ E6 y) N3 A& D> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 Q; k9 x! c0 b9 v  U; K> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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9 g4 S# B* I( T$ f> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
( \. E1 B6 U0 S: Q+ v1 z, Z> treat that child.'
>
! n$ H1 P7 ~7 T& k, N# ^> Then he told the following story:
>
& C; s# g5 f8 `# F7 I$ [' c; I> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 R' ]; g+ n! c. G+ E> 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
; c" }0 }! R" i( g. a7 E+ ~) o> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! A8 S/ r$ R( c> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
/ i/ t" D0 @- @9 j6 e  x> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 B' U- J% L% z/ q. v0 E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
! N5 `& X$ \6 t0 |> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: N6 b, O! H8 O" m: V) \  c( k$ n> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 p: q  ~# [, s5 l$ |9 J5 Q' V> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 m; J2 ?4 T/ ^  n4 v( Q( b> 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
& f+ ]6 j0 ], S6 G> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
! f% @; ~! ?& {- P) [8 @% G% r2 {- u> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 @1 N& ^6 F5 n% s; Q! |> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
, G7 Q% `. h2 F1 _) t. k$ V> 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
> next at bat.
>
( b! `2 Q: Z; {> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
" q7 }2 I6 v; 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
' s# U. ]8 @5 w$ A* e> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
" {; ~9 k! ?: _) x> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; `  g9 A5 Q: \+ ^2 T3 f, f( ]> 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
. J; `% f: l. @" a0 v6 s> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 [& W6 F/ s- t, s, ^8 O$ L. h- l* s/ O> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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, Q$ b' C8 p  ]! X! `  q6 v> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ x+ g# y' X) T> 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
+ E3 t. A: M  \( P4 N% t! M> 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
& O( X# B1 t- J( {> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ }* v. ^" n% U: `8 f- l0 P- p* L> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 b. ~0 y' W8 ?) y3 o> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) Z, F2 u6 p! x" z. c> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ Y5 a& d, W' L" Z1 W! J3 d# g> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 H8 ~( r. b# F2 {> circled the bases toward home.
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7 x9 o9 i' Q$ n7 u> 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!
/ m; y* X8 ~, \4 `> Shay, run to third!'
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6 r/ w. \2 ?9 k4 G' K0 a8 P> 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
" ~$ `7 ?  j# p1 I  I+ x> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  X* B0 B7 K, x$ i' [0 Q4 _> 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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 Y& @6 v9 M4 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!
>
> 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
2 F# c- k7 r& R% ^> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
7 P7 a- [: v# b1 K/ [$ S" I$ J> '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
6 s& h8 C2 B* o9 e> 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
7 W) `/ i, v0 e; j* I' l$ {> bit colder in the process?
>
" r' U  ?2 z. |) _8 U$ Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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& b" c2 a! ]" v> May your day, be a Shay Day.