Warms the cockles of your heart

Received this email through (Thx Paul)

Don't know if it's a true story or not but I really, really hope so.


>Subject: This is what its all about!!!
>
>
>
>A Little Story
>
>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 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. Shay's father
>approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.
>
>The boy looked around for guidance and, getting none, he took matters into
>his own hands 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."
>
>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 outfield.
>
>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, 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 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 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 took the ball and turned and threw the ball on a high
>arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman.
>
>Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!"
>
>Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the
>baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
>
>Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"
>
>By the time Shay rounded first base, the right fielder had the ball.
>
>He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he
>understood the pitcher's intentions and intentionally threw the ball high
>and far over the third-baseman's head.
>
>Shay ran toward second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled
>the bases toward home.
>
>Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in
>the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!"
>
>As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams 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."
>
>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, and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

>Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble
>remembering how to fly.