> 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 cannot 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 belonging 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 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 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.
>
> 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 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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 people 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