Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
% d9 z+ x: {) S9 ~# k> same choice?
>
4 L& b: g/ ~( s% 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- C/ Z. f; k9 ~0 r5 Q* _: _> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 _3 _! r4 b; J) m; A& U' T$ l> 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.
& x8 S; _7 A9 H* R2 s; z( m>
" F' D: }/ R0 n1 P2 o& d3 i> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# ]; l% Y' z$ q, v) w> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
$ Q: i2 {& b- I& w>
3 u9 ^4 W4 T  k* X> Then he told the following story:
/ Z6 I7 o# F: A, e>
% {+ i  {; o0 Y8 `; \5 z4 o; s> 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 F) {5 U# n2 @- g; ~8 J> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
/ N" [4 v. t& }2 l9 C- @  }; I> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
( |! j) q* ~3 Q; H% _6 |) L& y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 _! T8 K2 C, n- P> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& Z9 \  u! ?! r7 V> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
% E* S3 m0 n1 _3 d> 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
; l4 A; j/ O& @! B- b8 Q" ^% B> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ k6 W0 }8 w4 }> 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
. W" c. G/ k  f- y. `> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ K; F! x1 R' @6 [+ T( x4 p> 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.
. |! N/ w/ L9 y! b/ u>
> 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,
0 W: }1 s9 N5 [8 I, `) o+ b' O* F! b> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! U& n6 @1 f1 Z, H, |" L) h> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
- J' f/ M  {1 P3 A> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ W, C# d5 B1 v3 r3 Y! o> 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.
5 d: c; I+ ~. V1 P$ T1 }' V4 W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
3 H3 b" w9 c) {- v' J> right back to the pitcher.
9 ^# o9 u, \. U9 W. v, i* {" o# m>
9 A8 O2 q' }. ^$ A- W( l8 ^> 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
4 j* [. n0 k% ~6 }  Z, X) v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
' {8 r4 S4 a. r5 g3 i0 t>
) r+ o- A& I3 A$ R& d7 b> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* ?/ C: ~  V% L; r/ e> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 @7 x4 T$ |- S5 M( z; I; k" \4 C> 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.
9 c8 D: W( ?) }  r1 Y>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  P/ e* w% J. l6 V> 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
, v/ @& L9 T  j  h- X> 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,
& i& y2 g9 t6 h' e0 F> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
% p/ S) d  T+ o' D9 h1 B0 i' R- z4 Z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 f* F$ a, l' O> circled the bases toward home.
4 C& q4 P* o5 G$ q' a>
; O6 v2 |$ T4 N$ \. A5 W> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
/ {3 c2 G7 ~% B>
) g" b5 @5 Y5 r> 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!'
>
> 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
- F# `% I! G7 I7 W7 \" r% J/ A> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# Q8 o/ f  K; ~  E" D1 y! m1 S: w> game for his team.
* o) |# {9 r( d' k7 M4 f* U6 z>
> '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'.
>
) c/ {( v6 R. L5 u. K( x> 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!
>
+ v0 w3 {+ M+ Q: _3 s. b9 a> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
+ l) F, t2 d' s, k> 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
1 x$ P4 @2 R5 ]# |7 c4 L> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
% \8 U% L1 [+ q# F% @' E>
> 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
& I- j2 Y4 X. h1 P> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
9 B9 e) {+ L8 D9 Y8 X> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
' }: F$ o: n; F  b* g> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
" j( k1 j/ w3 y> 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
& _6 {7 s4 s) [( t- K+ e> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 b% c) J+ Z% h. p7 m2 {' O) @/ x> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
% E! l- i3 i/ k* ~- R3 r, x>
( T2 N$ y( G4 d& W; T, s+ x( f> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.