Watching the opening ceremonies and the first events of the Olympics has been inspiring. One of my favorite moments was the clip with the Queen and her arrival into the stadium by parachute. I liked her stoicism and hearing that she is a great actress.
The sacrifice and effort on the part of the athletes (and their parents) is awesome. (I can’t help but throw in the fact that swimmer Missy Franklin lives about 5 minutes from us and swam with my son, until she got too fast.) This ad makes me cry every time I see it.
I have to remind myself that though I don’t expect any of my children to ever compete in the Olympics, there are other things that are worthy of rising early, hours of dedication each and every day, and continuing through pain and disappointment. Rather, there are things even greater than an Olympic gold medal. Even though they will probably not receive much recognition.
Even more than seeing my child receive a gold Olympic medal, I would rejoice to see a child grown into a kind adult with a confidence in his own self-worth. To see him happily married and rejoice in having a child of his own. And to find joy in serving others. It brings tears to my eyes when I see one of my children extend kindness to a sibling, just because they feel it in their heart and want to. Most of all, I would rejoice to him make it back home. His real, heavenly home. I hope I can do whatever it takes to be there for that hug.
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