Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
% j- q4 E( I$ D% N> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 @7 Z( D+ d. \: ~% J; R> 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,
  W$ E/ [. B4 R4 d9 @# {> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 ^+ }$ B  d% `+ C> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
9 O- V  Y. r3 a5 p> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 }& F. `- N* @& ~8 z0 b> 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
: @7 o8 W8 W; n. o. ^9 e. D> natural order of things in my son?'
>
2 h. \8 g' w/ k2 S/ S0 \> The audience was stilled by the query.
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+ q0 V9 k, l. M/ G1 n> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% M6 {) U( j3 K5 r; y' Z- W> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 |" I3 b# u6 }! ]& }9 o8 m& u. }1 S> treat that child.'
>
4 n2 G* I+ }7 c6 H6 e6 }> 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
( H/ D. T4 l& f% r$ U- `9 i! Q. }: d> 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,
+ W! @! T  z" y7 ?% d* Y  T+ r> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
1 z. S/ }. k& W> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
. ]1 K* T/ W. D/ ]' }% Y0 a4 f! R> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 L- N5 Q3 p( q  u: ^> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
! C% n% `( l8 h: u( l3 m- D) X> 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
+ G: k6 O) t3 K0 f9 R: o' [4 f- W> 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
7 k+ t0 c+ C2 ^$ B, Y> 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
1 L6 n9 p& A4 S> next at bat.
>
* p, u1 P& p8 v8 B) i* {> 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
: t% Y7 k( T$ g5 S/ Q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
$ U9 }0 k! s2 Y> much less connect with the ball.
0 H. q# Y" J6 }: J- J> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> 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
- \/ k) U8 I& }# e% t; m, [> 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
6 ^0 M2 p$ ?8 W: V8 G0 {; n8 `9 H> right back to the pitcher.
>
6 h: y' U5 e- u: `! v; K$ p6 T! o( n> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 R; E/ R  g$ V" k  i* ^5 S# F9 x> 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
* a: ^& R( Y- |! L5 x; z+ f& _- Y> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 e( V  }- z5 O0 t. P, [> wide-eyed and startled.
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' i2 U, c. s0 u/ e( N7 j> 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
> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
- a9 x8 D  P) X: A' J8 K> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
$ G+ O+ [! U1 z! N( b! H1 z% l> 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!'
>
> 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
9 |4 Z9 o8 T1 B* U8 T. i5 r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
" Y& \: q$ G. p4 Y) P8 x/ K; Y> '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
0 N( f6 o  T8 a; N7 L> into this world'.
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+ ?) T1 D. T) W  `% [* x> 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
$ @7 _% S( }  Q; V/ }> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
! R8 U* a  r' j" |' W> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 n* k* x& e, n7 I7 m> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ ?# p" G2 w6 j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
; [  |! \3 V0 ?$ c3 v> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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: o4 ]) u7 g. e- x, x, H> 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
- k% y4 w3 Z5 z# w, a) ~; z> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( Y5 ?$ a$ ?. F> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
5 _+ r8 v* J% h# _3 R6 ~; L> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 J3 P1 O8 J! T4 l> 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
( {% F1 o( A9 L/ @( h8 A/ B' w> bit colder in the process?
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) S4 |& l4 j% B) i" E> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; y. r% \  O1 j6 e7 s> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 M1 D+ z) p) B$ \& C! e% C> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 S2 q4 {: M) d1 {+ {: F> 2. Forward
>
' X* V; G2 y3 ?4 F3 w5 Q> May your day, be a Shay Day.