Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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2 {% n# n1 H0 A4 p% }> 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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. F0 d# B5 W3 D8 w" T> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
3 J0 e, H" z4 N& x+ x> 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
3 v& d$ M8 a4 ~9 M; M$ M2 |# \9 ~: Z> staff, he offered a question:
>
  ~) V) \4 c+ G5 x4 M> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 D: \  G5 o  w0 C8 W> 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?'
>
* ?9 G( _( X% u. ~# N8 V6 ^> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( a5 e$ q1 e7 V/ z# w/ `. ^> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; ^( I) B; h% A  h8 d' O% |9 g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# K/ n3 A" ^# k  [0 ^7 b> treat that child.'
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> 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
, \7 }$ M3 Y. `7 w. u0 S6 Y7 \! l> 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
+ r- G5 @/ m/ o1 ^3 H* H> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 G% o. y- `$ h  y( ~' p7 T: A> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ f& j" y0 I) {3 A6 b  E* b- C% F9 C> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ O4 h+ t3 |$ Q0 @: x> 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: q2 @0 I( f6 w8 o: B0 @" A- _> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" _  w7 c0 j# L, M> 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
( T3 v! z2 p& ~/ e> 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
' x% V1 _/ X- p$ U' m! t> 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
3 a+ N' G9 h& S  g+ o: A5 u> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 G$ ^" ]. z4 S> 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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> 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.
$ `3 `! D% s5 e+ h' ]; x1 ?> 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
# R: v- R. r" J# o. h7 [> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
! b, l9 x2 T, `; g  [8 l* c9 F> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
$ J, O4 B, m, A9 @: L5 C& ~> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ p# }, X" j; ~' \5 z> right back to the pitcher.
>
; a9 U) p0 v# b+ H- o> 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
+ j! O1 e3 G0 G7 s; g> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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,
# p  u+ Z( ^' p3 D. t. n> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# n5 D) f$ y: Y8 x4 i; S" f> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( D# U4 a& P( v> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
3 i% G9 ?' [$ o; U> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
* l6 u# [  k  k> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 h: _1 y2 r0 F8 t6 w> 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.
>
> 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!'
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& N, e1 U% `" o3 e4 c' d> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( n8 _. m7 i, d8 y> 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
> game for his team.
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' E2 {7 t% h9 U0 @; `1 M' Q  S> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 C5 Q5 I8 z  O> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" R+ {- T9 I# E! _9 b- ~> into this world'.
>
% |4 n/ Y6 g$ K2 D3 B> 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
: Z  {1 E! p- m, e& G> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
5 F7 |0 h9 U5 [# w. J! C* s> 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
4 i: T# c3 h$ t0 O2 B> 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
7 ^% Z& }, X8 a; r+ Q> 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
3 H; D6 D5 U- y9 G  G+ n! P$ p4 ~7 R% x> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 R$ g3 T7 H6 d( e" p# Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
5 J: C$ O9 s* i8 k; P9 e> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.