Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
; f0 w- [9 n- h% ^; ~9 ^6 I  r> 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 T0 F2 B, P! q( i- Y7 ]> same choice?
>
> 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
& }2 D, z/ |5 D6 e( B% V- a+ S> 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
: a9 [( F/ t% @) n> 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.
% E4 o( U9 Q  ]/ A/ b" G" _: ~/ f>
+ Y( C+ z7 D$ `5 [; v) C# ]: e> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 g8 A8 E. ?7 y! x! C6 n> 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 a* w1 z. @+ @# ]> treat that child.'
>
# a: X* Q2 n2 G3 n4 ^7 I> Then he told the following story:
$ G& B3 f/ r9 g4 }* U2 C>
> 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
, I2 E& H# [1 m/ L* b) L1 o! ~7 n> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
- Z* z; h0 m0 H6 z>
> 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
, h$ f/ Z0 S3 P# f; x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
9 `' p  j4 H* r4 x; d0 J; {1 g. O> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 x" s6 h2 Q& n2 q: Y> 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
. s: [3 }, O6 D7 ~7 A; P, s2 I> 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
4 s& X9 r  S$ }% d3 {> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
, ^" X, \. K) U> 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
+ T5 b$ X0 C* Q, V5 W  U5 H; o> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, Q8 X7 X, k) t- f3 m0 S# w0 _9 k> 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,
8 Y! ~8 o' _+ ~> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
0 m( R4 V+ n6 w> 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
2 W( d, u) w% L, d: Q- K6 i> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 p' p6 K2 @: \0 [0 H> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
7 E' H1 \# D6 x8 d& P* j4 s9 ]* [> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% n' w6 T) t  k3 h. j: O$ J> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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$ h$ R3 Y* c- e1 N> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ f& S# C% [2 f& J4 m7 C> 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,
6 A  ?6 p5 P# _8 Z; {0 X> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 E0 d0 H4 W1 _! [> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
% t$ p* Z9 o2 {$ I> 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
% I5 C* j6 F0 r- i! V7 D7 e> circled the bases toward home.
3 g6 i2 M( T. Y0 i5 f, J6 l>
" n2 W' z" ~9 Q9 ?. n+ r" F4 n- q> 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!'
>
> 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
, ?2 q* {7 H3 d$ F3 d; i' B3 R: x' N; j6 o> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> 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
$ W, K. \8 Q5 o4 o3 a' L> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 [: P1 P8 O4 Q> 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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2 l; F, n, c5 Z! P- s& H> 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
7 B3 r6 L  Z7 `8 A) r( j& y5 y+ i> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ V* B; ?% ~. O* ~, P) `! l> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, z8 D6 \1 b, y: R> 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
: ^4 S7 X, @. X, T" I6 i2 A, e> 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
2 z3 v) C. s8 n! P> 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
; H4 w' Y3 P. }' D: ?  N7 ^> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" j- O  P) Y" [; G> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
* A# r2 c$ l8 E- l> You now have two choices:
# u5 T$ L) |+ @$ I- R) T( X> 1. Delete
$ M% m9 V+ S* K4 E7 Q6 ^& S> 2. Forward
& w/ U* f  Y, G! H2 |- m>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.