Subject: 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 to all of you is: Would
you
>have made the same choice?
>
>At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled
>children, 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,
>physically and mentally handicapped 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 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 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, 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 if
Shay
>could play, not expecting much. 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 put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a
small
>tear in his eye and warmth in 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 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 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 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 'cause 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 the other
team
>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 be able to 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, but 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 head of the first
>baseman, 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 ran that far but 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 second base. By the time Shay rounded towards
>second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their
>team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time.
>He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but
he
>understood the pitcher's intentions and 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, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and
>turned 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
>those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, 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 and died that winter, having
never
>forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming
home
>and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
>AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE 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 think twice about sharing.
>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 on your address list, that
>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 that opportunity to
brighten
>the day of those with us the least able, 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, sunny today, tomorrow & always!

everytime i read that, time stills...

having special needs children...opens the eyes to the world as nothing
else can.

thank you.