Sunday, August 5, 2012

Greatness

There's most likely very few Americans who have not been touched in some way by watching the summer Olympics in London.  I'm stuck on it.  It's a motivational movie.  Even the commercials.  Sometimes I tear up with pride and joy.  These young people move us all.  Out of our commonness and into magic.  The best of the whole world.  Really, the best on the entire earth at one place and one time in peace and beauty.

Yesterday there were seven police officers in the shop.  Seven, plus a detective, all because of an item that was supposedly stolen property.  I didn't stress.  I closed my eyes, said a silent prayer and gave it to God.  Police roaming about.   The "owner" of the property strutting intense.  It all streamed fluidly through me. 

It's our job to be the best we can be.  Watching the Olympics is a good reminder, a great one, actually, but, it's our human job to be the best we can be.  Whether that be dealing with a detective, a police officer, an intense victim of theft, a desperate mother trying to sell her stuff to buy school clothes for her children, or a husband who has been more than three years a quadriplegic.  We need to be our best and expect nothing less from the people we encounter.  

Greatness.  The Olympics remind us that Greatness is not and old fashioned ideal.  We can all be great.
Jed, my husband, is great.  He has been a quadriplegic since April 2009.  He has not been able to even scratch his nose for more than three years.  But, he greets each day with a plan to improve.  He greets each day with a positiveness that I can barely comprehend.  His greatness inspires me to be the best that I can be.  His greatness inspires me to face the detectives, the victims, and the desperate with the best that I have.

I don't have a clue how God designed all of this, but I see Him in these remarkable people who represent their countries in the Olympics.  Their journey to London is varied.  Their journey is full of barriers and struggles.  Ours are too.  All of us.  Those of us who struggle to be the best we can be are touched by the examples we see at the Olympics.

From daily stuff, to the remarkable Olympic demonstrations of greatness, lies the everyday things we all do.  Most of them are great.  We get up, and do our best.  Some of us are quadriplegics.  Some of us are caregivers, some of us are police or detectives.  Some of us are victims of crimes and some of us are business people just trying to do our best.  Most of us are great.

I know, there's lots of bad stuff out there.  But I just watched some amazing Olympic records, while at the same time assisted my husband in some basic needs.  I just refuse to fall into the doom and gloom mentality.  Our world is not going to be better unless we all try.  Jed's line, that he always used with his students, was, "Can't never did a thing.  Try does it all."  By using the example of the Olympic champions, I will try to be the best that I can be. 




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