Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. q1 J8 n8 n6 N9 o2 J> 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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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
/ I. G6 G3 M( F- ^& X* i4 G6 \> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 Q6 i3 O1 I9 P7 m) U7 j8 ~> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
5 I% R: d2 P: i! n  {% P0 k( O> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 d& }( Q) X+ z* k" K& W1 N" Q1 V> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
* o- p$ w6 C  H3 ]0 z8 t> treat that child.'
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% O0 h) X/ p  n+ A# }% ]> Then he told the following story:
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4 y, L. A' _2 ~> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
& h8 z9 R5 I# ]> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
" ^  k1 V7 X4 d+ Y" y> 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.
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3 [7 w) G& U1 R8 z. D. n> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  W7 G" [5 d1 a2 k> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# c* y, r; k0 K- j4 h> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. n% n  o" }/ y3 J! o9 e! I> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 x. B) B" O6 i; w+ f2 z> inning.'
>
: X2 @( w- Y) }> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. f5 |" ?, ~6 i1 m* y* L  T> 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
! ^/ m1 Q0 p. J% p! |> 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
7 l1 Z- [! 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
- c  L# V. ~1 Z- Y/ `& p> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
: M  \0 `5 R  R+ W> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; ?6 k% X4 n& c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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4 r3 R+ L- b8 j1 \& x1 {> 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
7 A; K" G$ ?6 a4 b! x, ?5 m> 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
, o- F* C1 \! b> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
# d  ~( P0 Q' Y* B> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  e- g' {: l* s/ c+ V> 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
) _1 l. Q# l$ D4 [* S5 K> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 Y% ]# C+ K- d  V+ B& I> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: g) K" Z9 K3 `" B: }* C: z/ H> 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
, r' c5 m9 H7 ]+ z5 U% r> 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,
" i3 U" ?2 c. e> wide-eyed and startled.
>
4 \! A& {( R4 q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( o- s  V% }3 f1 o! ?> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 c  ]+ s7 P9 U# u1 w> 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
2 a5 C  C' |/ I3 Z  m; O> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
! b& |, s+ p6 ?. _+ z> 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
" T0 u+ E: L8 b2 M+ ?1 `5 [> circled the bases toward home.
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0 ]  y; ~4 i4 {2 i> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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# F5 p1 ]& A) O  n3 _> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# M. i2 F4 f7 i5 K( o! i> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 Z, d' [- }( u> 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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) R0 C& r9 @  u6 m> '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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 Q) d3 z- r+ P, Q2 S% w> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' ^  S. s+ P$ d5 Z. p; N> 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
4 ^4 [: K& K  q, _1 d: {# F> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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( l: x! c9 B. T( t> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. M6 M% I) U$ ^- z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 K2 B4 u% K# d6 v> '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
. Y) v* F% o) W  N> 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
6 g2 _* K! f& Q* M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
( u0 I% }+ j, F* U> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 K* l& K: m+ p) q2 z/ h6 k9 k  k> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
. }+ x" N7 R2 M/ V> You now have two choices:
/ u1 @- O- ^+ k) B> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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" p/ @  {7 J  N1 H' Z> May your day, be a Shay Day.