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Two Choices2 C5 Y' `8 B0 U+ L( l
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 a1 b9 N# o5 }# p9 v" D9 D+ K0 ~> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
' |6 Z: t7 V3 v5 T2 X! j2 B- x: Y, Y> same choice?
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2 ~7 N5 q8 W& m: M- c2 a, p$ U> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,' U3 c9 f% t) G2 l
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 s. i5 y# k4 r) v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated% ]+ K/ {2 q" Y0 p |; p
> staff, he offered a question:) C; S! T; l/ r2 I% {: ~
>
3 g; a. V9 N/ r- q: J> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, r' f0 P$ R3 n/ o+ e> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 r6 N( Y1 s) W8 l2 {> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
% W% k: _; V$ d' ~> natural order of things in my son?'1 I- G: O! I- R. @
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> The audience was stilled by the query.$ }9 [ x+ j% b2 @8 l& a! N
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically8 a6 C0 \$ n, J0 [2 g* u8 b
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: ~3 H% Y. k2 X* M) `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 V0 h `8 z, h; p7 H4 ?+ O> treat that child.'4 g0 S, x; c. J; ^/ M
>
* _6 K9 Q M( b) K> Then he told the following story:$ ~9 Y9 e9 B& I6 d* F! m# W1 w5 e X
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were; v- q9 |) f( h
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's+ Y m, O: R3 l4 \. }6 @1 k
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their7 p" l, N0 r' M( D0 Z, S7 k
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
/ v0 n0 B% } b' @4 X! v2 W7 x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
7 Y9 U0 g$ f3 v4 y" N1 v$ M3 Z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.- @# O0 P% a3 N. g% t" J# t8 Z
>
4 a' t! Q8 Z G. f8 ], j' z2 [> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 ?: _8 D# i3 l> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 f& R3 f! W: @. T, _' J/ o> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I+ v3 L9 _/ g1 y3 U2 b! f$ ?
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth8 Q; ^- M1 B3 P) q; X5 m# b$ B3 i
> inning.'$ l+ R; L% M$ T+ A0 S
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" T3 a: ^8 C" B& u- ?1 K$ m> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
# t8 f: ?: x7 |* q> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the/ f* M7 }: C8 y3 P+ H) Q: P- w
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
$ a$ n1 _. k0 a4 e4 B( r. C> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and% L9 j* K" I+ }$ y* `: u9 I
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 a' N( }3 J+ r d> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 ^. V, C% b7 g" A> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
{0 V- M e2 i, Y3 ^> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases* c- _3 M6 x1 H8 {
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be. W' T S* l; s
> next at bat.
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9 i9 A5 ^, w+ b: V: @4 k> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the! p$ z+ n+ H/ t9 i) ^
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all9 D; s" C# J5 M
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 W( q1 F$ T+ F n# ?( l' r> much less connect with the ball.; T+ ^( {& v+ Q9 F
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the t' @1 I+ {) y# H
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved& Q& {) r% y* T* x5 K, Z5 E+ y! b" ^
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make6 y, w( F8 e4 V- L* k4 K3 T% G% k( h
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
. u( g) H c4 W0 \: c/ K" G1 j( d> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
3 n" u& j, L, H7 W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" l) S" H& ]7 E, |/ d% T> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 }4 B) f# G' E ^> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
* w* |1 ?2 Y; f B> out and that would have been the end of the game.4 w' ?- v" } V9 F3 J; o; H
>
( K4 Y! L; b! ]. ?1 O G1 y> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! S) a/ I& _& c> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( q/ Y" [7 r, L3 l. l; A5 k* x> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& r2 I3 O4 f8 N0 }9 E/ U> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
8 e. N0 e( W3 |0 E7 ~: ~> wide-eyed and startled.; |) J7 K# D7 g2 R0 F
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 }5 H7 ?+ \3 X" Z- u0 d7 u> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 @- u: x; b5 S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 ]( k. C6 [0 [& E> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
% _8 @) }+ z% M# t7 F> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the, `! m: R6 ^' ~% ^1 w$ m
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; c- k( }0 E; W" A- O" s> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's8 W* U( Z! [# P
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ f- X8 A; l3 g3 O1 T$ V$ H, x> circled the bases toward home.# X Y) p5 O, B9 K; O& w
>
- ]2 B/ N- h. ^% z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'$ c5 o. C/ ]! g
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( x7 F) V% N$ N7 @7 E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
' I+ X3 e6 N8 W> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on9 E( A) A; a- O; {" l
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped6 G/ F' v# r/ c W _
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 z9 {7 X; |, F+ s, ~9 t! c, H/ N> game for his team.
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* E0 j* l0 {4 e* x% D. v6 W, Q> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,3 a# t+ m; N4 \ j7 F
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
1 M4 W( ~ w5 g- n8 t% w> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never/ T$ O, w) w/ m" {3 V9 c
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% G" h5 X$ ?7 p0 t0 N> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!# l4 y7 d! |1 L8 M
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes2 \% ^# m7 I. b: v4 ~0 u
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 ` }7 F4 S) ?5 M( `* H> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often# |0 W6 @3 d! |2 G
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency+ k0 B) s- n# p* g+ x( i
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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2 P5 ^1 \# `2 B( @; t# ^> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're c; u7 F3 O; s0 N6 ^' D
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 s' ~# P% u7 I& }2 _4 B> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who+ P3 Q( d7 _9 u5 L k b
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have. r7 f1 M4 c5 m6 w" O+ A3 S: B
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural. I7 a% F5 h" G& o M
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 _- {% |7 ]5 } d. _0 W> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
& z j1 ?" N$ r, ^: `( T6 `6 @8 l! T> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little" w- {' _; T' t/ Y F7 D3 W
> bit colder in the process?
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4 ~( ] W( D7 |: n: T> A wise man once said every society is judged by1 c1 U7 v3 q6 o3 H" R6 ^. U
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:# @# Q& C+ @& }$ g% {/ F+ |+ [2 ?
> 1. Delete
# k: `: q7 q5 d: r0 |0 P> 2. Forward# O) K0 W3 Y- k' M% H) n. s
>
- }: M* ~/ }& w0 n> May your day, be a Shay Day. |
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