Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* z' T% O7 ]0 D8 o0 }: t5 ^/ F# S> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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9 C( f9 h) r, _# R* v6 H1 x( u> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; W* |# _4 a$ h. _" U) u2 X> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 }' Y9 x/ y& j0 ]4 W/ s& N4 o> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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8 x) Q% k/ z. k* a3 }' j> The audience was stilled by the query.
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5 s6 H; c  [# E/ w2 D# C! K> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# P* z9 \% K+ D; x8 o. z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 D. a" ~+ W0 k- K; ^2 v> treat that child.'
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5 ]8 Z( j  B1 K$ M> 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
# `0 K( J0 ~: N$ x0 _; }9 e> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# t6 ^# G5 x7 R$ M4 E  w7 }> 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
8 @. ]& R7 n. v> 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
4 k5 S. M6 d6 `& a$ s  \> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
$ s8 s7 P1 I$ h( T> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
* A+ W! s9 U& B) ]% p> inning.'
>
3 k9 H! |$ J5 V" t" [- N> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
& [' n) m1 N% m7 X* D, u> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
2 J2 U. `" w0 f8 X> 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
% e# o9 {& o5 `+ D! V7 P> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
! m- j1 F5 q8 `; X% t> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
& R0 B7 R- E* ]  j> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 j* E  E) ~$ v. P  r> 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.
>
> 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,
( }, L* H& I( E# @! H> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& @& O8 X+ |$ [; ~3 }' j> 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
/ _- q$ H0 P" v5 ]; t8 h  a> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 X9 ?9 N7 g2 M& T/ b5 n> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
. W1 f$ ~! q+ c7 W- p: ^! e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
0 ^, U7 Q. B( n9 R> 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.
>
8 V4 q0 [/ ^; J% M7 `, _> 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,
9 P7 S+ F  L( u2 ]! l> wide-eyed and startled.
>
& b, G; F; q) V: A- }# ?  I; c9 y> 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- Q7 n) A/ E> 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
> 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,
' t; b  f6 u; z7 F> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
3 X% ]' F: R7 k5 A' @) {> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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9 P( Y, {' R7 j0 C2 D> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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2 E- G5 |4 S( y7 r- P" o+ p> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  z2 d' W( w$ S> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
" J( i) E( a( b4 S2 O> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ D) ]# u3 ^) c$ N3 N> game for his team.
>
> '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
/ c4 B) m% q% ^6 X$ [# C0 a+ X> into this world'.
>
6 G) r; }( c% @& T: o> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
! Q. W) C; \' o" ^* ~- C> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 [0 L6 W' A  X( o+ f, Y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
3 N: A& t" D. ~# i) w> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 u2 b) i8 q3 h& v> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ Y3 T; A" g  }# i/ G, O$ S7 \> 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?
>
5 K2 S% R0 w6 Z% q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
3 C7 ]7 E' |# z) {6 |6 c$ Z+ q# A> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.