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Two choices...

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By (user no longer on site) OP     over a year ago

I will warn you this made me cry .......

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.

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 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. Ignore

2. Forward

May your day, be a Shay Day.

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

forwarded to evry1 of my contacts :0)

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

isn't live cruel and then you read this and puts smile back on your face

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

I have just copied that and emaild it to all on my contacts list. My step mum fosters kids some who have come from a boken family some who have special needs and seeing the joy from those kids to be somewhere they feel safe and loved always makes me smile. Some kids are blessed with a 'normal' life some are not and its up to us to make the lifes of thses children mean something, not for us but for them, even just to say hello and give them a smile can make their day and shows them that not everyone in this world will shy away from them becasue they are different. Imagine if it was your child and how you would feel if others treated your child different from others just because of some handicap/disability/learning difficulty. We each have the power in us to make a huge difference for them all

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

I have a son who is autistic and that story really made my eyes fill up.

In a world so very full of hate it just goes to show that there is always a bright light somewhere

(deeply touched)

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

Just a thought but look up a song by Garth Brooks caled Standing outside the Fire.And watch the video.Says the same but in a different way.

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

I'd already received this from 2 of my team mates. I guess it's getting forwarded more than it's being ignored already.

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago
Forum Mod

As lovely and heartwarming as the story is,I can't log on to facebook without getting the same sort of stories as well,I don't pass them on the same as I don't pass on chain Emails or texts xxxx

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By (user no longer on site) OP     over a year ago


"As lovely and heartwarming as the story is,I can't log on to facebook without getting the same sort of stories as well,I don't pass them on the same as I don't pass on chain Emails or texts xxxx "

I don't either. I was gonna say that in original post but figured it was long enough already. But as I'm such a soft arse and it made me cry ... I had a mad moment and posted it xx

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago
Forum Mod


"As lovely and heartwarming as the story is,I can't log on to facebook without getting the same sort of stories as well,I don't pass them on the same as I don't pass on chain Emails or texts xxxx

I don't either. I was gonna say that in original post but figured it was long enough already. But as I'm such a soft arse and it made me cry ... I had a mad moment and posted it xx"

They always make me cry and I curse the people that pass them on to me! xx

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By (user no longer on site) OP     over a year ago


"

They always make me cry and I curse the people that pass them on to me! xx"

Sorry ......

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago
Forum Mod


"

They always make me cry and I curse the people that pass them on to me! xx

Sorry ...... "

Aawww not you babe xxxxxxxxxxx

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

What a total load of sick American twaddle.

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"What a total load of sick American twaddle.

"

Always nice to know you can rely on some people to totally miss the point.

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By (user no longer on site) OP     over a year ago


"What a total load of sick American twaddle.

Always nice to know you can rely on some people to totally miss the point."

Or just be awkward for the sake of it.... but the majority saw the meaning!!!

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By *eznhannahCouple  over a year ago

leeds


"What a total load of sick American twaddle.

"

i sort of agree (with the sentiment if not the wording) if it is a true story it is a lovely heart warming tale, but there is so much of this stuff on the internet now, is the poster saying if we dont send this on we are cynical and cruel, there are thousands of good causes with petitions etc on face book and other sites, which DO do make a difference ie the petition on facebook to get the wounded soldier his bungalow, so the internet is been used already as a force for good, chain letters etc dont really do it for me,

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

I think the point is that it's a fairly heartwarming story which kind of makes the world seem slightly less hostile.

The point about forwarding it is that we now have this kind of fear of forwarding such a thing, whereas a cruel joke that makes us laugh will get forwarded all the time.

Thought provoking.

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By *eznhannahCouple  over a year ago

leeds

point was taken, and i,d be even less inclined to send a crap joke, if i get one more swine flu victim who has come out in "rashers" mailing me i,ll throw my lap top in a river

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

i got a short attention span and missed the ending ,,, ,, who won ???

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By *eznhannahCouple  over a year ago

leeds

humanity i think lol

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"What a total load of sick American twaddle.

Always nice to know you can rely on some people to totally miss the point."

And the point being ?

Oh yes an exctract from a cheesy American Sermon ....

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago


"What a total load of sick American twaddle.

Always nice to know you can rely on some people to totally miss the point.

Or just be awkward for the sake of it.... but the majority saw the meaning!!!"

Lighten up Estee for Gawds sake !

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

oh please cant ppl be nice??? obviously not!! FFS

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

The sentiment and meaning behind this story is lovely and shows life is precious but also short, so people should (if they can) live everyday like it's their last.

This story is NOT true. It has been doing the rounds on the internet for many years now. It's still a sad story though.

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By (user no longer on site)  over a year ago

Lovely story, but that's all it is, take a look at snopes..... http://www.snopes.com/glurge/chush.asp

W

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