The following was forwarded to my e-mail right now by Yaacov Avnet. I'm publishing it here in full, as it well deserves to be read and republished. How authentic it is I do not know. It holds its own truth, for sure. Nice to read and absorb on this Shavuot Holiday Eve.

"I know you are all the "appropriate " type of people who would
appreciate the beauty in this story. 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.