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Two Choices
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/ L7 h1 s! _1 Z. A& T2 ~> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 a% S5 E7 G* t; X8 U" F5 m$ w> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
6 P3 P5 b5 Z9 x7 @( y7 O> same choice?, B* d! j R6 l# k5 d, H1 A
>
* R# P0 `: ~/ n6 v, i2 e> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' m* U% v; Z4 j, a0 m7 r& @> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be; B6 l/ ]" W. _7 W" D: T: V
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated% e/ P2 F: J) j1 i- S+ T7 ]3 j
> staff, he offered a question:% v& U/ u$ A- U C4 G
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/ g2 z( t$ i& n9 Z" c> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 e% {! ?* h2 F1 b/ G7 t> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other5 b. j5 ]2 K6 ~8 g
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the$ d3 ~4 b4 y1 u
> natural order of things in my son?'' b: t! S2 L' ~+ X' w% R
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' B% X l2 y% I- E> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 g8 H( L- w) j7 K/ T( X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize1 z- _( [0 q4 `; w3 G6 O
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 ~7 l- t" B; A I5 W> treat that child.'3 }7 g) v/ k& ~% x, a0 v c8 B
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> Then he told the following story:; b, _! G6 u3 [. j1 n
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were! [4 a+ r1 x7 K1 n7 U, C
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's2 H2 ~0 K8 T3 M# O& p# T4 P
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 |" U+ t J' k4 o! {> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 c+ x; g: V7 \4 n> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be$ X. ~# E1 K' T& k$ X9 P
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.6 c9 g" P7 l4 p& P3 D! k( H# Q
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not M: _# U+ v- J! w
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and( h& ~- E. u+ E" M. ?; N6 t
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I/ z. f* E! j+ }7 Q
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth1 J& t: e! i$ j% @% y: R7 J2 e% p
> inning.'! G/ @! [0 r. G
>
: l2 P3 i, E' ?% \, e> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 e4 V. B3 g5 n8 h3 r% Y7 f> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in4 a% O8 g3 f* W1 W% M5 ^9 L
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the' o: y& u6 m: h9 o8 n; G
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still. s! o4 v2 Y) o( n) J9 w) B$ z2 V
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 C" I5 Q4 }) ?% P5 X> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was: s: X) w) Y8 j. S. u: J" {# y
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from+ o8 _. h m% W/ u6 F! ~9 I
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the& S5 S& h4 M2 t8 [ U8 U @0 r& _
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases1 D: d. ]( T4 ~- Q6 C6 @
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be- D9 n6 W* c( L9 b5 _
> next at bat.9 t: s e# b# A$ z, u
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the' c! a0 _0 L* {4 c8 m, w0 r
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all& V6 \: S; [7 W
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
/ ]# w5 O$ T, K x7 u, v/ z! r> much less connect with the ball.
8 u% n2 a8 T1 P/ i+ ~0 I> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
' I" n" e- | X& A b8 C> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved, T' g# g6 ~2 |& |' j
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make3 j+ D! {% h Y N
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
9 M9 H. ]6 W6 X9 r. h> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.$ v- T) k$ R- ~/ ?* g. C- k
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball# Y$ O% `& a: p3 y( g8 Z
> right back to the pitcher.
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" H. Y% k5 S& W( Y/ N& |# X5 B> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! }, s; b; F c z C5 v0 P> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been7 J5 J. J1 r( k+ X1 K; x
> out and that would have been the end of the game.4 F) }/ k: X/ s& e- L3 F- ^3 [4 i. w
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5 s2 ?. A7 a$ F3 j, ^2 Y8 s A> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out+ u7 p( i5 _) u- f4 V8 f0 C
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started: C4 k6 Q* a$ ]5 w) r
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever/ P- j/ a0 q2 y, r+ k/ j
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 y+ j% D! S& }0 Z. C5 E> wide-eyed and startled.
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5 }5 Y# H3 u; y6 f1 {> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay1 l$ g$ K- ]' w6 \ V+ {
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 z: j* x# r* x8 v> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ g8 D q, `3 Y$ |6 t7 W: W> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 L& C9 B# b3 \> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the; ]% |* m1 }* ^- Z
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,* i. H& X0 H l2 d9 T0 u7 v" R
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 `7 t4 b9 V* e* T% a6 Y6 K" k> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
( K4 E. b/ j2 `, z4 V> circled the bases toward home.
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( {% t, K; T; z- F1 p4 v> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'4 H( l& m* {/ O6 j; U
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! [+ x* O8 P* ?4 G! Y# L% q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 t; l; X+ y6 X% U Q0 e( K> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on3 Y* t0 J; C2 D( X+ | ~
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped' ] e- s4 g- z) d; o' g
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
O8 u( N* q' g: v8 }> game for his team.; l9 ^5 g) N! _, j9 M
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,* e( @3 w' K0 f
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) t% x1 i+ A1 O1 k$ B4 L# x0 G Q> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and; T# s) w( F! A8 G+ C
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!6 e* f" l7 F$ q4 l8 S
>
$ Q. I' ]( h2 u9 x3 H> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes) d6 I D0 M( v$ U+ z a3 g i n
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 z; P& N" U, y0 q0 j7 u1 E3 E> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
4 m5 q1 |8 s1 T' g h7 ^7 c> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 e b" } o7 S> 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
! e4 U" R; r+ H4 w3 S> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 \$ y4 x6 q( ?3 Q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# `" B( s2 X' e/ Y4 a> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
, n3 i/ d3 M/ P! V> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
% y- A. u6 c, U! w+ Y# n> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& a( U$ k: A9 c0 y1 D> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and0 q2 C! G0 z) g. ^9 \. J7 |. o- s& U
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
5 @6 i! W! K* U* j& ~> bit colder in the process?" i% @1 ?8 X- U
>
9 s, W# g; K) z Z( h+ J- g> A wise man once said every society is judged by& |) ^( t S6 c
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:- \* ?9 x2 q+ _
> 1. Delete+ z/ D, H% D6 v6 K! L0 N0 A
> 2. Forward" j- Q1 v% [( W) v% u
>
8 u, s% o% ?( W1 z" @! X> May your day, be a Shay Day. |
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