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Enron Mail |
---------------------- Forwarded by Andrea Ring/HOU/ECT on 05/02/2001 03:46
PM --------------------------- From: Michele Winckowski/ENRON@enronXgate on 04/04/2001 03:17 PM To: Maria Salazar/OTS/Enron@ENRON, Teb Lokey/ENRON@enronXgate, Andrea Ring/HOU/ECT@ECT cc: Subject: FW: weepy Choices < < At a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled < children, the father of one of the school's 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. < "Everything God 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 God's plan in reflected in my son?" < < The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I < believe,"the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into < the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself. And it < comes in the way 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 will let me play?" Shay's < father knew that most boys would not want him on their team. But the father < 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 < from his teammates. < < Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are 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 up 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. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove < and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously < ecstatic just to be 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. Shay was < scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at < this juncture 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 moved 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 toward < Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground < ball to the pitcher. < < The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the < ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have < ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high < arc to right field, far beyond 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 was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He < could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right < fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the < ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran towards second < base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. < < As 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 home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero, for < hitting a "grand slam" and winning 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 the Divine Plan into this < world." < < And now, a footnote to the story. We all send thousands of jokes through < e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages < regarding life choices, people think twice about sharing. The crude, < vulgar, and sometimes the obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public < discussion of decency is too often suppressed in school and the workplace. < If you are thinking about forwarding this message, you are probably thinking < about which people on your address list aren't the "appropriate" ones to < receive this type of message. < < The person who sent this to you believes that we can all make a difference. < We all have thousands of opportunities a day to help realize God's plan. So < many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a < choice: Do we pass along a spark of the Divine? Or do we pass up that < opportunity, and leave the world a bit colder in the process? < < You have two choices now: < < 1. Delete this. < < 2. Forward it to the people you care about. < < You know the choice I made.
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