Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
/ U) f0 {* y. y1 n' G+ N, w, D/ h> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, x( J' Z/ t  [> 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,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
+ [! U/ }3 V' S' K3 @> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
( L- x1 u) h2 j; a: y7 e1 `- A7 w> staff, he offered a question:
>
- I& V4 b5 \: Z: y9 ^> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' l" |( @6 Y$ A( S# Q: V0 F0 h& O> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, Y; G. |  Z! B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 J  @% [" C2 C7 l1 Q% t+ ]5 ]> 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
( f5 Y" m7 B6 P> 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
# X3 {: U8 h. E; y& \$ q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- F8 H/ |5 H4 D( c7 P  l> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) m% u4 c6 o) W, k0 e" d; n4 Z$ j> 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
, ?3 t9 k1 C3 a) U4 ?0 I> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
6 q' u9 \0 Y2 D' `! h> 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
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
! t2 c$ o# u( K0 A+ _& o# X. Q3 g> 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
1 n- q& N" j' q. P> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: `' |7 J- S5 ~% C8 y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) g! ?: M% c& l8 C& X6 M# v! p8 W> next at bat.
>
' L% z* p! y& N+ M: ]- }" V> 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,
& y  U. ~0 J$ Z* }6 {% M8 |6 K> much less connect with the ball.
& X+ }8 j+ _% F$ P5 f4 F  I> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
" j1 a: r6 l# e% q; B. a> 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
9 Z3 Y: {9 J& s> 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.
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5 J' ^" q- }; F- G( O> 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
, f' Z  H. J9 w8 z: q; h5 _, Y# I> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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$ B) M' m% e/ a1 O4 Q6 o> 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,
  F' {' [4 A) s( ]# Q$ h* c> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, _5 y" \. u, s- p0 G> 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
5 i4 l& b. n# l6 ~( S$ A> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
  G9 O3 ^' }6 U> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ }7 V' m$ n3 Q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
& t) Y' s! C8 `. [6 m) w4 k' a1 @> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 N, I' E+ R" {4 A  d> circled the bases toward home.
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4 T) l0 v1 V4 x- s> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
9 y- @' r. ^8 P5 @> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 z/ h: P+ n: B" v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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6 |+ W+ u/ L1 ]$ `1 S9 p0 x> 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
: T6 k. [: P5 R% n- G> game for his team.
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> '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'.
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> 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
" r3 @+ P" |9 ^8 V5 ~% c! B- c" L> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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6 M* j. P+ E7 z> 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
7 o/ j( k0 z1 |/ H7 _# J> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 R* S! C4 z/ G$ ?> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
. O1 [, `; `% K4 y* J> 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
, ^+ b+ K5 _1 m$ M8 ^7 O' N> '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
) m2 f! Y; j9 u, f) j% ?, H# A> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
6 ^8 l5 L2 p/ O. W> 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?
3 j! c, D$ f: n% O9 f2 h5 ]>
' C; N" {+ Z* d4 o> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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% H- j, B( E! W" U$ D5 V> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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! B' M7 s4 d* G7 X0 g& |> May your day, be a Shay Day.