>>

This email was sent to me by a friend i dont know who started the chain but i think it is awsome

>>                   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
>>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 (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. His Father watched with 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 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. By 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 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 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
>>
>>
>>
>>                   May your day, be a Shay Day