Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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1 ~' M* B+ C, e9 o' J/ T> 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
4 \9 K: |6 Q7 o5 O; Q' A> same choice?
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0 I6 _1 O/ q" H$ {% c> 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
- t2 b! a2 m: @3 K( \4 D) Z> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& z: x- |7 W, H: V! u! D> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, ~9 C' r. s0 L> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 g3 |+ ^0 E( \, E. C" q3 L3 W> natural order of things in my son?'
>
2 Q* B8 o; R4 v> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: ?7 u! |' Y: u# X% m6 G$ z" y2 g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ y+ w  T1 b8 P0 v> 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
5 r& ^: J4 W/ t> 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
6 N8 C8 x1 X- I* X* J> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
1 @8 ?3 a+ s+ Z& O+ g- ~# u1 a> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
  u6 e- w* u9 D& M- u! K- t( Q> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. A5 k2 w: h2 N& W; _- N> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
3 C$ l( a8 n7 H> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
$ R+ L8 T5 i! ]> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
2 T9 `. H5 z, d4 L. h> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- }/ M  ?8 K+ T4 {0 _0 l  ^> 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
; \$ m# p" d3 p> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* e! h+ i% s9 t3 V. A- `> 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
% f% x; K, B6 I( N> 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.
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9 l, G: T7 _3 z5 j/ G0 T> 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.
0 L1 o; L9 P/ H> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 j* g- {* ?) Q" t4 P# C5 }> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 A9 N! K; z' D# p: f% ~; |> 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.
- I3 t& n9 r, N1 I, \( p> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
, ?2 i5 V  G  ?4 D+ k> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
; u; _: k/ O2 g) H1 F0 b- C+ l> 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
> 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,
0 \+ J8 g" ?  O! X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 c7 D8 a" W4 C: ~5 @5 c> 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
; p8 V5 S0 T8 R: d) Q" S" J> 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
( d6 H! Y3 \( ~0 Y- c" O6 F7 R> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
% V2 W3 }1 x6 v$ t- W6 S5 v> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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0 ~3 R2 e- o/ ?6 I0 e7 y! S: r> 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!'
>
- y. V2 t7 w; {5 ~& ?/ g* S> 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
4 _+ P+ j2 o2 u2 X; A> game for his team.
>
7 D4 ^' T; o1 ]> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ Q9 o1 C1 B: \0 n> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
% @& Z: l$ N9 q) k9 V> into this world'.
>
8 b/ D5 N1 G5 H, _, N2 ]> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  w4 M5 E: N3 B; \> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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$ F# J; Y, f& U7 v) Z) ]2 t6 Y> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- l- f0 Q8 S( X1 u  C1 b> 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
6 D0 _. K% _# c% r> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
" D9 d+ V: O0 S4 ?> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 y0 W% p" k* @9 Q& v* @> 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
" T0 F3 R$ U( `& ?2 y: m* _> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
" Q9 q8 \. O1 {8 y% F0 M* {4 N> 1. Delete
' s1 ]$ x6 `: Y2 K; I3 v> 2. Forward
>
0 A9 e) G  w2 J) s* a7 a9 S6 V> May your day, be a Shay Day.