Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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. _' Y; a( ?: |4 B6 [- p6 C* ^2 D$ e> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
8 f3 @( C6 R3 a  S- ]) P8 _> 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,
( l& a  f, N4 m# o! W5 q' o> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
& d' c+ }+ |9 s9 s7 [& ?> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 |% r, T& X* U: Y1 |% Z' }> staff, he offered a question:
>
6 _2 |1 b' H, h0 |1 _; K$ F> '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
+ T! @1 ^; L4 ]6 Q> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 {7 |7 B: w( E5 d% D8 r$ U! j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) D2 T$ l3 w5 o! A4 O> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
+ c( |& T$ Y3 M> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 }) n% K5 E% Z; ~8 V> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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1 L& R3 s" H7 n3 Y; s> 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
5 b7 P9 H+ y2 O  q( R1 k> 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,
9 T7 z) @# F! N4 `5 h6 g> 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
& I8 y8 ?: a2 [& r! X( L> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
- f5 E& S5 ]: K+ ?8 V5 I6 u/ {> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* L" Q; ]0 _  `5 W' [> 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
$ `. G/ J! z; c) 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
1 X/ Z# f$ ~6 K8 f> 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
# d8 A+ e  W9 ^9 ~6 q> 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
4 [5 d4 p) U- d/ Q3 u> next at bat.
>
! E# s: a; D0 Y) Q5 u> 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
$ D  o% |. M+ `& k" n> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
" y3 C. L" |7 \5 A( {' {> much less connect with the ball.
/ [% ]- N/ x7 m: m8 @+ }- N> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ O) {/ o+ v, I> 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
# v- L& ^2 x* M. ?! R- P> 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.
* v  z4 z/ `  m> 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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/ v% Z! c( q4 E5 R: W( w0 k8 g> 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
$ X0 k% O, z6 L> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
4 C0 e) z4 B( [$ B9 I, {> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, d3 ]' a& r0 t> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
" m7 ^! g. ?0 S% G* O- c> wide-eyed and startled.
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! }2 Z. ~. \# N! V+ X> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& V: p+ G( @  B# j& f& P> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ w4 @+ R- |" ?8 n/ Z. }8 Q> 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
6 |  T, y2 b7 h> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 B; D8 D3 N! m! i1 y> 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!'
>
5 P) p" d9 R, L/ s: O> 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
1 p; h$ W+ l" A5 G$ b> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# I9 ^0 @$ L/ S8 G0 d> 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
> 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
$ h. h+ e% d: Q6 ]& A4 P( Y+ t> 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
7 ^4 J" P2 h7 s, E> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
8 ]$ R: s# d0 N; J0 J. q% N9 P> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
* r* m, r% M7 I3 s- a1 X> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, v- @, {8 I( q4 P# U6 Y2 J3 V> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; J+ Y4 S2 ~2 B- O/ {2 a5 L- K; B6 Q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
5 z/ @2 q; ~2 }> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
: [) {: O2 Q: C7 E# e> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* a: V# ^3 [) y9 M( j> 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?
>
& x3 s2 u7 e' S0 W/ n1 N! f) d- Y5 k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 ]0 F0 E3 ^; u* ]2 H+ R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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& y) t! L3 C6 U* r: L1 g> You now have two choices:
8 x$ u2 |* c6 X5 d" g> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.