Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
2 \3 x9 j* y( I) I' {> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 B: R, t- |9 r- H" T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
. j6 c# P! ^( a6 i9 ?> same choice?
# S1 s) m9 `0 v" z/ w; X+ |>
' h! ]+ Y% b+ F3 K+ T> 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:
4 Z# i& ]( c1 m9 i+ C+ I8 T>
4 ^9 r  h$ t+ W> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& \! X' @+ c+ }6 s9 \% q# ]> 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
, A; D1 {( \- T0 c4 p# @0 K> natural order of things in my son?'
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# j' O7 B; h; y  R> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 ?/ C* h& }0 }7 A> treat that child.'
>
> 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
> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
' p/ J: W. V+ a* ]5 I> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( R) V3 z5 o4 h> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
1 J- H9 c! [+ J& ~( G" q, B0 [3 @>
1 r' L& j! M4 h> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
5 d: Q( j: k1 Q2 J* t9 L> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
6 n  ]" j, d/ x% j5 v$ D$ C> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 r; \0 l+ e% P/ X6 y  M: e6 i> 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
/ K6 }2 z8 n8 M+ x0 L> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> 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.
>
3 h' F9 d0 c4 p  B* Y: x' V) h> 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
: D. k, y$ @9 I+ t" o( ~( W> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% k, m7 ?" d4 T. c3 n+ y> 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
> 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
1 i2 }) c$ a5 ?1 k& ?( g9 s: K> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 C  Z0 u2 I* N> 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
7 T. |9 ?4 b' v6 y> 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.
>
. b( ~  v! \' E# N" y9 n> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' ?- P# G. l9 d3 v: l1 i> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: e% q! q& P% n3 K* K% Z" f> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 J5 F1 i7 v% R) Q( W: k; |! {> 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
8 M1 t2 X1 f) X5 s% q> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. b0 f7 s$ G2 C' i* C- B  ]> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
( g: b/ j4 a$ H5 V- r+ k: V& u> 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'
>
8 {/ ]6 w) w: S' ^8 }/ K> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 l; M: L2 F9 k  F7 m> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- v+ M4 @5 z$ E! L; E> Shay, run to third!'
7 U) }  L) `- B" @0 d6 y>
> 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
> game for his team.
>
1 l; i$ ~, K  G+ T% m$ A( @, a> '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
8 d. _. b$ R. \- t9 \- c# I> into this world'.
>
0 r1 Y. b) {5 s7 q* r; U* `) P0 ^4 k> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 {9 @) ~1 j6 {2 U  R> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 d& H( {8 h& J* ?+ w) M2 I> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
9 c2 F/ j/ b" D) J> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
! l+ n) M4 _0 s# F% E2 {2 I0 h( h> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' B, [5 G1 ~  z$ I+ f> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
; x& r9 O8 H5 t> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: `' ~: @; d- u> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& `' H+ J4 r# U& _" [> '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
> 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
" r6 V! Q7 U2 t( |> 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
) A2 l  i& j" p. q$ F2 h# }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! T2 E# A# Q* H+ W& O# K9 H>
> You now have two choices:
3 C: ~1 Y( H& ]! e> 1. Delete
, g) Q+ s# X) A$ h7 P> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.