Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
3 N7 S* h8 @5 h7 m> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 ]/ ~* Z, x; \' c. o8 b, b& T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
3 y5 U8 B/ ^& q0 @# T> same choice?
>
/ B/ E' O$ U/ d3 h  b0 [1 ]> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' P$ ^* Y+ c6 h3 u4 R> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
+ `% g3 o) E/ B& S: Q/ O, O> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
) i6 K' Q% E4 N# U4 u7 r4 a> staff, he offered a question:
" }) k) R) t4 s8 M+ y1 c0 r$ q% t. Z+ E6 I>
, e& Z2 `' g" \" Z2 R> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 x( w( b3 S; V/ G> 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
  ~% V! G1 [1 u$ E1 M: Y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
& t9 x& D8 C- _4 B8 U9 u> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 ], C& T8 u8 V6 B> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# H2 u4 ?5 s( e1 b> 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.'
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4 A& R$ _% G6 U6 I7 `> Then he told the following story:
+ D, Q0 r' j2 l9 T7 M>
> 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
1 H+ |+ ?6 @0 l1 j' _; K> 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,
* k5 r  t, P. P  p* V0 a> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 L- }3 N0 @% O. i8 ?& V> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) \$ y# }: T4 a  h+ H& k> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
. f/ j( L* g2 i> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ P7 X: Z( A0 x0 E7 k+ W4 a. h  n; j, b> 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
7 a1 b) |6 [2 {2 p> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 F- p( j- q6 D& d> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
# P4 H+ w0 q: q# [' h+ O$ G> 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
. q$ a$ t& o- E> 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
9 O) P& p& p1 ]/ }8 G# N> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 i$ N! r6 d# ~  j5 t> 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,
5 I& k, C. [. o0 T> much less connect with the ball.
* P0 T% [7 N  J( _2 X> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 I, `; z* c" r  r" [> 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
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
6 T7 E0 I5 h9 ]) P) h; V> out and that would have been the end of the game.
1 }  _4 b% M% C2 J- j>
! Z7 P2 T3 ~3 L2 L5 j5 a> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' _3 R0 |6 i. c  M% p/ h> 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
' ^0 n5 Y  F$ g> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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' m4 P* V& J) \# A* ?> 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
" [( g; z4 N: M- K( S> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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
) Q) p% J3 i2 R/ K> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
+ h+ N3 H! h2 m> 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
% H! @9 x7 r  x- h. N7 {$ T8 p> game for his team.
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: w3 n. ^: `/ ^4 G0 J6 I5 ]! k> '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
+ R$ h5 y& r; j3 G9 L- L> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ |0 r' U; ^9 d8 P; N> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
) G- K& K' w, B0 `9 U* E4 Y3 U$ z0 }> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
" M2 P- k1 z+ S7 ^. n- M+ v; 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
, l& m4 P+ `3 d! a5 u0 T/ B" j> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! u* P; f3 c! d( f5 a> 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
+ q' y7 x, P3 `( V9 Q/ D> 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
6 A' \3 S/ _# n5 E: C> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
  q( Q# }9 s( ?2 H3 u7 I1 V$ ?> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ I1 W0 _' |* g+ @2 ^* P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ ?+ t0 l: j$ s  W> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. l  u) U2 y% ^4 F> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.