Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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3 S4 i, F6 N2 O4 c5 C! I> 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
* c4 l, t  N1 ?9 U9 ]! x; X" N> same choice?
>
! @( p$ q! D- b" s# C% f> 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
! }$ v3 J$ d# x* F7 W* C> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
/ T3 C8 F8 {" j2 z; H0 @> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  m) @6 [* i5 M" P5 M- y6 Q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# v4 T% i8 E( `* b( c, S, t: e6 j- j> The audience was stilled by the query.
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: t: O; e$ E2 n& l> 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
> treat that child.'
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- r% n3 R3 U; m8 r1 V> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
. C& ~7 W! j8 Q0 }$ N6 m! L> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
% r4 q9 m" v% O% Q, m% E/ g> 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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> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
/ L& ~8 a  q" q+ p> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
8 d4 v0 [: @5 s0 [; t( O8 f> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) s9 _2 @  U. X' ?, f> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, _, }7 |8 h3 ?$ I> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. Q- m8 V) @/ E% \$ U5 m; r' 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
, ~+ r8 {! q1 `> 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
* U% m* j- Y4 H> 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
> next at bat.
>
( J2 `- d5 Z) ^: R# [4 B' `> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  c* r4 }0 g4 ?% F4 p- I> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
8 w* ^0 @4 T. a5 v$ V: A4 \9 G> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 Q8 X3 u6 S/ M3 F> much less connect with the ball.
7 q+ m3 i+ O: y) t: L> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ F, V  U6 H( E6 w2 p$ ?> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: Q, a8 K* [0 _* H$ Y> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- `! q( z& {: D> 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
7 q9 w* U# W8 _  H0 I( D0 c; m> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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.
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> 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
6 h' y: S4 y% x9 T: X> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: T+ w3 f) p0 {* q5 @# O" a$ l" r> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# l+ Q3 E# ?/ k6 \0 e9 A! l# F> 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
( S/ C- l: h2 s6 Q6 s: L' 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
, M6 `- e6 _! T, q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
: A; G( D/ E  x; O* O& d. W) D> 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
8 x$ d+ ~, s' o- W: a; f4 G) ~, P> circled the bases toward home.
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+ S) l! n; B4 P' I- k4 X* z. |> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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7 \! e$ [( z# \9 Q2 g> 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!'
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  g& A# m9 }8 n3 f2 K/ Q> 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
' j. a3 F6 U, x5 |/ t2 [; C> 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
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>
7 r, V9 s% n) @- W+ \. U& Z: D& f* {> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
" m+ O( b) }" x* j% X7 J> '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
. p; F3 K% R& G9 W# Q! c% R> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 M5 a1 g! ~1 G' J> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 n4 t! _: o. Y0 g/ C1 k> 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
1 ]5 }# _& i+ l' K: W> bit colder in the process?
>
$ J6 H: O6 L* x  l) r' [) Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 o/ C' `# ]: o! R% ]> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
; ?* c: M, Y2 B: R' I8 r! z> May your day, be a Shay Day.