Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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7 D1 Z+ k8 a5 Z4 _/ ?2 x> 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
2 o  X6 B6 A/ R& ^& ^- R> same choice?
>
7 ~# t7 l: m: S' |+ s" [! p> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, C) E) i' D4 j0 o0 d. z* i> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- P; N% d+ A5 `7 K# w3 B# Y; n2 y' a> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
3 {: f# s: b/ P7 f. h, X' C! X> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ a2 Z( G5 P% g0 P0 e) 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
9 D1 c! e3 s" Q) y4 W> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( K, [2 a. y9 W. V- W0 q4 J0 F- F> 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.'
>
: O; a( u/ e, R1 b> Then he told the following story:
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, M) E8 |$ d* N> 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
5 x* O* b7 L" x( u. Y* x> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% c- ]% ^$ _8 T4 _/ L> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) I( f$ k4 z4 O# t4 D% {> 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
7 C( z8 _+ ^. V9 q8 a" p* [3 [> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& T: ]8 g3 q5 }4 }) x& f/ m> 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.'
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& R- N' m1 o5 U8 E" z> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- N7 s, N1 N1 S> 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
8 q( A' e- C0 q0 Q  W> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( M+ T! w+ h4 A: J' r> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
# T/ J0 H/ T! ?> next at bat.
>
> 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
8 B: ]6 e0 t5 @) Y> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
# f, M: }! V! |" a> 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
> 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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4 C2 r" }3 |( N2 ^. W, ?1 ]> 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
> 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
. ?% N) d. l* U> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
1 z1 L0 q$ a3 z: O0 h> 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,
- e9 x( `2 s& a$ h2 R> wide-eyed and startled.
>
4 R  h& c+ i4 f> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% @5 G+ u  {7 n/ s  b3 |> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 j( ~  ?, o, Y$ U% R> 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
> 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,
- _. r9 e$ E' N. g! d6 O> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
6 _# e3 |, H2 C3 H' l: R0 v> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- p! X" ~; i. b2 R- A9 b> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
, b) Y6 A! g9 J- Q+ [* Q6 f> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( \4 F, R# D: c+ {& Q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& _' X. g* X+ l' {7 v> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 x3 T& j, n' v2 B& d> 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
5 A. \$ Q9 Z, G. j; w' E% `$ D> game for his team.
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( P5 `) n+ k" C$ ^, E1 H> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: F! p: _; e+ T' E! X8 N. ]> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- Q8 k' \; Z) v5 _7 P% ]> 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
# E  Y8 k- [3 |> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
1 G8 r0 u& M5 z" V> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 P4 Y+ x: ]% D1 i+ h1 h4 i5 H4 ?$ ?> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
1 H& o7 N5 B0 `5 }4 n, p; W> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' v* m2 h. r( \; X! C  s1 U> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> '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
! k2 P  r$ d- {. h* R0 d0 c> 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
4 {9 G3 |7 w& W! E* v3 m; d, F2 ?; E> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- q$ [  n8 O$ L5 i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
0 d) \. O4 v+ c' n6 u* u' I5 v0 C> 1. Delete
2 R- _+ R1 F. l, ?$ u; |> 2. Forward
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- N8 ]( ]& G4 v! l: A> May your day, be a Shay Day.