Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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& v, f  `0 m" _, ~> 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
. D# B6 `! ~4 q. t3 I2 K> 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
% A" H/ |, S- Q6 c  L+ k5 N> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( _( U+ n9 h: _( v> 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.
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3 A. D8 \4 G6 u3 A) F, o> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( S" f8 x! O6 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
! Q* ]: u* E' S# i. X> treat that child.'
>
: ^! P& @9 h9 k. X, d& Y> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
5 m# B0 v& E/ p0 i! t> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
" ]+ P: g' v+ x0 h9 M7 ?  E> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ v$ H% I9 H9 j+ v9 A: g2 L> 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
7 p/ ^4 e' W& I3 q' F( D9 ~- s> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
1 l6 A, p) Y1 G8 C0 n8 Y! l> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 N. Y5 P$ n' m- K3 S/ 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
3 \4 x" j7 a1 h" {# \$ S2 U/ B> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 d6 J% N. c* n$ H$ M- N' g1 K" V> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
' D+ K& {. i0 \" y$ a4 j' v. o> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 s- n. N. z( W+ Y" s. j( U/ v> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
, k( E& A* ~) R) J) q5 l> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
! X( B  _' D! A8 A! J; j& @> 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
# x/ ^( g: `8 \2 w> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, f3 q0 P! e  \; [- t/ n> 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.
> 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
/ {) ~9 {# T& y> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
7 p: y# E3 d5 J8 v> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 A- w2 X$ u( X. u$ D7 q> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# A" j3 T+ {* j> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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/ ]2 v4 v6 |8 i> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> 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
- L: M" F4 L- j! b: `: C% _! b# g7 a0 Z> 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,
: @, `) f6 d- l$ f> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
0 _6 }' L* E1 [* Z2 f. {> 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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! g+ r5 Z5 ]6 O* O& C6 I) [$ l9 t4 t> 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!
6 e9 y" S4 l7 u  i+ y> 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
* Y6 A1 _1 O9 S, o- X> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  [  M/ T! M: o* m) I7 ]* j> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
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>
! g1 ?7 Y0 e% c3 s; ?> 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
2 h# `6 j3 _3 m. S% l0 t5 n* J> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
" `1 e0 L4 k2 h( J6 u> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
$ d8 c. z7 a. |> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# S) {. |; e% z4 G> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; J8 N0 X/ ~5 k; A- K! k> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- i+ t! M8 p/ {+ l: A: F: x1 y( w> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% c2 _; D, \: Y* g+ ?% W9 s; B7 A> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 l: l# b1 s& [5 N" M% K& C. P> 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
  i) S& P! A/ G/ f. m3 M' t9 w> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. g2 w1 x, x+ I. g> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
- h$ m; [% f3 p+ R> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.