Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- w9 d0 f( s6 c' M/ z& z/ R> 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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  T% i& M- T  x> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ @) b3 x* k* g7 o> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
  O! ]" _3 S# e- k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
: g  L# p7 Q; q) T> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 {% \/ C: q) I. y> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* G- i: V* I, h7 Z: f> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
# g* [) p8 j8 g% s> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
  K* P9 V) J& h  M5 Z" n- m> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 i! S: {1 B$ u0 h8 Q+ C> 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
% r% E$ D0 x5 E8 o> 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
  ^( R* [' {( \( D2 J$ Z) @> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 p  I7 W- w  A  {$ W, E6 H> 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
9 V* N% ?, I6 N' j* d> 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
8 a) J, f- [! W8 @# \. @> inning.'
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5 W! u  l3 P+ w" u0 w' v> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 h+ Y5 b, f3 m6 _2 N. t> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
9 C+ G% e4 y$ N> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 F& t- ]# e9 k> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 ~) Y" N8 B; x> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
; B  d" R  y0 T$ w  z8 g> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
3 \$ W0 ~- c1 _- R1 W$ \$ P+ P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: S( K0 Z  ]' c& D& w> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
! G4 d  \, k2 _  E7 C> next at bat.
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( a# M% Z) T  v% L# {" `. r> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  j6 ?3 i+ a5 H5 D0 |. ]" x; Q$ |> 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.
( Q& d; l0 A/ o5 Z> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& p% v! N( l/ j> 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
> 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.
: M2 ^% E; @4 R, ?; H" P# {: P> 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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> 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.
>
- V" H6 q5 `' E$ n> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
% D* S- d  j" |; X. e9 |> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ I; P# w, e9 o1 N9 z> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
0 R3 v1 t, U9 r. n" s1 o8 T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
# v# L2 ^6 x) Z> wide-eyed and startled.
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: Q" u6 B) s" ?> 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
- T4 p( B& _: H( _> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
, y! O8 h1 O. ^3 G0 ]. Q: ?; c) }& d> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
) J. {4 c/ O2 Z0 z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% y. d/ R; U5 J0 P) @> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! H& q0 r$ K) S6 J> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% q9 O; p+ S6 F9 V> 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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5 R, y2 d( d0 l" A1 h5 E( G> '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'.
>
( E; P( V" F: W6 T2 P! W  M# W> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. J2 D: t+ \# _% S( M- g> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
) ?- H5 @; a7 E* g% c- R  @> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
9 V$ W5 \5 |! q2 b0 l5 I9 Q( c  T> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- g5 r7 t$ m$ }. G9 X> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
: w! i* s  I: z' N1 Y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% K) _; J" U; r0 I1 p1 S; Y9 J- O$ v> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' T. S6 P; I. }' m) G) C3 t> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
9 D7 C, I( Q1 k) s3 D* x> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
, t3 ?5 L+ x2 X8 f> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ N4 T3 B4 ]. Y- z- q> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
, t% A5 B& C* R. G6 O. P2 o1 T> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* f: F  b7 Y; R+ i> 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
( w6 S' W1 L) a$ q: D4 ^> bit colder in the process?
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% ~$ a( b" x/ e8 O, E8 U/ X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
0 c8 I9 @7 F2 s, F> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.