>  Two  Choices
>
> 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?
>
>
>
> At a  fundraising dinner for a school that serves children
> with learning
> disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a
> speech that
> would never be forgotten by all who attended. After
> extolling the school
> and its
>
> dedicated staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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 can! not
> understand things as other children do.
>
> Where  is the 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, who was
> mentally and physically disabled  comes into the world, an
> opportunity to
> realize true human nature presents  itself, and it comes in
> the way other
> people treat that child.'
>
> Then he  told the following story:
>
>
>
> Shay and I had walked past a park where  some boys Shay
> knew were playing
> baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think  they'll let
> me play?' I knew that most
> of the boys would not want someone  like Shay on their
> team, but as a father
> I also understood that if  my son were allowed to play! , it
> would give him a
> much-needed sense of  belon ging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others
> in spite of his  handicaps.
>
>
>
> I 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
> inning.'
>
>
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a
> broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye  and
> warmth in my heart.
> The boys saw my joy at my son being  accepted.
>
> In the 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
>! 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 I 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 next at bat.
>
>
>
> 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 but
> impossible because  Shay didn't even know how to hold
> the bat properly, much
> less connect with  the ball.
>
>
>
> However, as Shay stepped up to the
>
> plate, the pitch! er,  recognizing that the other team was
> putting winning< BR>> aside for this moment  in Shay's life, moved in a few s
> teps 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.
>
> 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 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.
>
>
>
> Instead, the  pitcher threw the ball right over the first
> baseman's head,
> out of reach  of all team mates.
>
&g! t; 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, wide-eyed and startle d.
>
>
>
> 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.
>
> B y 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 intentions so he, too,
> intentionally  threw the> ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
>
& gt; Shay ran  toward third base deliriously as the runners
> ahead of him circled
> the  bases toward home.
>
>
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the  Way
> Shay'
>
>
>
> 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 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,
> 'the! boys from both teams helped bring a piece of
> true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
>
>
> Shay didn't make it to  another summer. He died that
> winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero  and making me so happy, and
> coming home and seeing
> his Mother tearfully  embrace her little hero of the day!
>
>
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO  THIS STORY:
>
> We all send thousands of jokes 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 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 peop le in your address book who
> aren't the
> '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 thousands of opportunities every single day to
> help realize the
> 'natural 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 how it
> treats it's least
> fortunate amongst  them.
>
>
> You now have two choices:
>
> 1. Delete
>
> 2.  Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.!
>
>
>
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