Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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! e/ G: o# p% m% s> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' A7 j8 u7 `8 |6 [# x* d/ \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
6 o4 j. _3 @+ W2 v> same choice?
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( X2 ~: v- x+ s5 W$ f  G> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" ]* S+ V+ Q2 E' `- j; ^! ]> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 a* ~0 x2 }" H( X, \' R1 M1 N> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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! f7 w: g3 u6 p- T) w- A. h> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
+ W; u% j( p6 i5 ~# `9 c* x> natural order of things in my son?'
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6 W4 W/ @/ m+ Z7 t( K. Y, s> 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
> treat that child.'
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> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
! u2 _- I- M- K3 T/ Q, T2 I' ]> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
  i) k1 ~* n+ N> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; ~9 m& l- u8 f  J2 F> inning.'
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' g8 T% Y( ^3 X6 o6 q! b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 v. ~  p9 ]. V/ q% [  i* \> 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
- P/ b" p1 C# M; u# e6 t5 g> 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
- ~7 E0 z( t) ^6 k& x. G> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ |$ K3 O" u4 S% @2 m: n3 U" q> 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
1 m2 O0 Z4 o: O7 n0 c> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 ^+ h1 q, Q" ^1 R2 ~> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, O/ |- G4 h8 c# X9 s; O% V6 y> next at bat.
>
) X4 i# h" d% p0 z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" Y) q% U% A* L8 l> 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,
! x; ]; f: j! ~" D> much less connect with the ball.
. B( Z. ?, }( r  E> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: M4 x9 Q# v% j8 e: j$ q4 U! ?( }> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
* D! k( a$ A: 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
5 B2 i5 W) {: ?8 n> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
0 V* [$ Z8 q0 t> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
4 y: z0 x; b, O; s> 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
* b" G; a4 Y& ^0 E' ^: i, y> 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
  R" I8 z% a9 k7 d& e9 a) m0 C> 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
# Q5 S: R: D3 L/ J, v> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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/ \3 G4 j5 j3 M* @+ B> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 {: e, B  A: p( p' M4 V1 C8 b> 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,
> 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
! V6 q5 B4 p7 I- @, u0 l> circled the bases toward home.
>
# ^! J- f6 m6 s% [7 ^> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
) k* t! A7 _1 G% ]% j6 Z' i, |> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; s4 f$ _# ?  E; `. J- Z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
4 b" X4 A% R0 y> 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
- j3 j) W# K) e( I> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& W9 {6 e8 |. o( @% l2 s1 A0 t' v> '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
" d" @2 f7 O: f8 w; {' n- i& f> 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
3 e+ G1 t# v6 }; i> 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
! h  Y" P. N: h+ M6 G# g> 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
3 ]; l8 g& T. r. _+ U, Z> '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
- w! I9 Y0 S; L$ W6 d7 J> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 L4 h1 n4 |8 {$ f2 K6 D! I" \: @% V> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 ?0 N( q' x' m: n- Y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
* T, M$ [' A9 ~/ l9 J. r& I' P> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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/ H- e  e& j" q3 {  I" t' D; b> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- u- |; A. y' F4 V% W> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.