Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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" E- S" O) Z- _4 X% _$ R> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: u! h, r; ]7 p2 ^5 U, j> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; N  I4 z7 E2 v> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
# O& `. S# G; J6 j> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! X( D2 Q7 u8 j> 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
- w; T5 _! a5 w( m& M" i* ~2 d4 f> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* H  z9 _8 s' O/ c! P> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! }$ |" i) t& _" Q2 n+ R" i1 D4 O, V6 x> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: Q. V( c9 m) r> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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  o/ ~6 o! i9 o  j/ N> 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
' D4 X- e: V) _  D2 x0 r  R> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
0 y" m9 j9 x+ E3 v3 i> 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
! r: f0 O, v6 A( q' Z> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
) s. _* V( G" {# i/ S- B' `> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' q7 A6 W$ V" w4 d+ ]' \* _$ `> 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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6 t) a$ X. I+ w1 D& K* ]( l, ~2 z> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* Q6 p. }# O9 L6 v8 r' \$ d> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 l6 ^& w' E4 G5 r: d* v: @> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
; ]" J) |; z' D$ n  D/ J> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 S. Z$ Z8 m' l+ q9 E> 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
1 ~2 O, f* m- _, c) M> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
' |* V8 N- b, G0 e! r, f> 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.
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/ x  [4 t4 d5 `& J+ B  {> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 O. i$ Q; a* a> 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,
9 L2 S5 b% w. ?; {> much less connect with the ball.
& |" `+ y# t) B# A- Z> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; j; `$ g# {$ y! c$ j& X> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# s; a! j! g0 q' I> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ H: u+ A1 D. E# b* W/ K; K> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
6 \/ U8 r' j2 l8 B4 a" a> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, `% u, j0 p$ [8 J7 r: {7 _4 v> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: F4 F0 l. s. I& g- _> 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.
>
% d! z( R9 U7 Z5 Z> 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
; |6 [' L7 i7 f% i7 X+ H6 k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
" b6 J7 U" {3 \' h) K> 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
> 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 X3 K; r+ B9 F5 P1 m! h1 F> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
1 Q3 ^3 F. ~; A: P4 v> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
2 F1 e+ E# F4 h# D3 Q, K8 p, W> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
* a0 W7 B' a2 i5 B/ Z7 e> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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( S) z2 V9 M& C- m> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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5 ~* n/ S1 G  t' y> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& }8 m- J! g/ `' N" T" K# Z' p* [> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 z% L. V6 ^! H: \% l- I> Shay, run to third!'
>
; x0 D0 @- D  G> 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
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 P+ H" r- b" i  D. Y$ j' W> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
" [* i! v( h* n& E! z( M; G* b2 M> 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
' V( X% T  L% [; Z8 A5 L) b> 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
& w" L: `, Y# X& s7 {5 [! U7 G> 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
; r+ U* c& l/ n8 b> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ }- {2 M& y' E> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
7 a; N1 b$ s' g* \5 N> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
  y3 x& K% R/ M) K. a9 j> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; w* \3 P4 Q" @$ ?3 f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
( m! g; o- g; V5 S* P* J4 B) u% \> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' o9 Z3 j2 B8 P/ j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
5 E" o& L7 i8 }+ s> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
, @1 B+ }: e; ]5 \9 f> May your day, be a Shay Day.