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Bye Bye Beijing

We watched the opening and closing ceremonies while dining on Chinese take out. Oh we are so original! China, with her 1.3 billion people, sure did use their human resources, and the shows were, as Darth Vader would say: "Impressive. Most impressive!" I loved the 500 foot LCD screen across the stadium floor - WOW. I marveled at their use of technology. And I LOVED the fireworks.

Michael Phelps will be the name I remember. He was incredible. Elder Robert D. Hales even mentioned Phelps in the BYU Education Week Devotional. I remember watching Mark Spitz win 6 gold metals in 1972. His success was pretty amazing. Now look what Michael has done. Yes, I'll remember Michael. I’ll remember being with some of our own family athletes, (the day of the Lake Arrowhead Triathlon) and watching Phelps win on Tad’s big screen.

Every Olympics has stories that endure. One of my all time favorites is the story of John Stephen Akhwari, the Marathon runner representing Tanzania (1968). About an hour after the winner had crossed the finish line, Akhwari entered the stadium, the last man to complete the run. He was suffering from fatigue, leg cramps, dehydration, and disorientation, but a voice from within called him to go on, and so he went on. He finished what he set out to do. The quote that lives on: "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; my country sent me to finish the race.” Akhwari's story is on many You Tube sites, and the Church even has his story on a DVD, emphasizing the importance of enduring to the end. This year in the opening ceremonies, as the athletes from Tanzania entered the Bird's Nest, Akhwari's story was again mentioned.

This year, Samuel Wanjiru, from Kenya, won the Marathon. And he did it in record time. But watching the young man from Ethiopia, who had led much of the race, "lose" , as he came in fourth place, was for me so sad.

I was glad that the United States did not boycott the Olympics. I am happy that the nations of the world can come together to honor sports and sportsmanship and work and success. I am happy that the commentators point out that just earning a spot in any particular competion is winning in and of itself. I enjoy hearing the many inspiring stories of dedication, and highly-motivated, hard-working individuals. What makes me sad is that someone has to lose. One person has to be faster, stronger, better, than the next guy or girl. And there are winners and losers.

When Tad was young, he loved Shel Silverstein's book "Where the Sidewalk Ends." One of my favorite poems in the book is:

Hug O' War

I will not play at tug o' war.

I'd rather play at hug o' war,

Where everyone hugs

Instead of tugs,

Where everyone giggles

And rolls on the rug,

Where everyone kisses,

And everyone grins,

And everyone cuddles,

And everyone wins.

That's how it will be in heaven. We can all be winners. I like that. So, I am going to continue the race like Akhwari. But for now...

Bye Bye Beijing!