Two Choices

[Guest guest]

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!

 

We speak much of tolerance as if it were the great virtue, but it does not

go far enough. Who wants to be tolerated, just to be put up with? It was not

said,"Tolerate your neighbor," but instead, "Love your neighbors." Each

person wants to be loved and appreciated and enjoyed for who and what they

are and for what they can do for their friends and neighbors.

 

*Of all that anyone leading or teaching has to convey, the most valuable

thing to learn and convey to others is a moral conscience. Only such persons

deserve to lead others, in any capacity. Anything less is a menace to

society. <http://www.clickaudit.com/goto/?10497>*

 

 

Flourishingly,

 

Dharma Mitra

DharmaMitra2 AT gmail.com

 

Helping you "*Say It With Panache!*"

 

Because, how you say it can be, and often is,

as important as what you want to convey,

and what you have to say is

very important to you.

 

*Copywriting - Editing - Publicity - Publishing*

 

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