Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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* {- J* K: k& w6 t> 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,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
4 A/ K8 F' \% O' V5 `; X2 E( N> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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- |' k9 x% k  X> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 u1 t: |3 }& N! M' D- b0 n> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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1 G1 p3 P; N( d" p> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 {9 }" V& ^) y$ L> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- G. P7 D* f! J; r8 P> treat that child.'
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% r2 G0 O, J& `% x0 ~) H> Then he told the following story:
>
3 R) a- b8 v( }- E  V> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' x& D/ y7 A' L: \+ M> 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
+ b: |+ y& V3 U; N> 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
  E$ x( g* _6 ~5 i% w0 U> 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
% _- m! I3 c' ^5 I3 {( F! K> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
+ H/ e& v6 k3 i6 t  u> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* b  J% Z& z- u1 p> 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
4 \4 C, B2 a% d3 a" k> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
2 _/ F3 O/ \, A9 Y8 N. Q' U  E> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
: ^, X" N# f# `7 ]# C7 P* B1 f> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 d( X. j' s9 n! a> 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
> 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
% @, y/ B$ z- p> next at bat.
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( X( C' x5 H1 z+ X' ^; o> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
+ R" O6 K) c; |/ u1 J( 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
. w3 j: t! f. [1 r% n: y3 c> 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
, p" C+ ?) q5 I) r4 d> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; d/ _( Q( l% J9 c+ s2 V> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
! @1 g- i# O3 Y8 r; ^/ O) g> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 D1 e6 X! f- S6 }7 D! F2 U4 t> 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,
2 k$ P9 {7 S+ f5 X( R$ S# @* ]> 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
6 I* Z0 E1 x+ ^: M$ y* O, ?/ d> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 b2 }7 L3 b, E3 R8 u> 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,
3 h% r8 u- \9 E7 E5 T: g> 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
# I! i7 E7 v4 F+ T> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 N0 {# _1 [7 }* m9 S( A7 z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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. m2 ^; c2 e) N4 N, m> 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
: j' f( H! Y, \5 d- B9 @> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 U$ U5 v5 g  q6 O0 o: r7 {+ b' P> game for his team.
>
4 [, h+ _$ `, [$ P! v> '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
$ K3 \. _- ~+ ~2 `5 A> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
! M( ~2 ?, S0 M( X0 _9 \> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 k( h1 o0 t# _* A# g4 Z+ n> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
1 f: `" n& u7 ]: C  ?; B> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ x0 O1 ^  I( o5 n  x6 ^) _> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ ~3 [7 F8 e) f3 S> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' U3 q  G8 J! e5 _+ }0 v' l> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& U6 `1 p% a2 _7 S& u( I# @> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 ?% b) A' v3 J' D# `> 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 ~# }9 \6 g# p6 `> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
0 B3 n4 \3 _) t> bit colder in the process?
>
# {. Z8 ~" g7 M# Y" J1 k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.