May 25, 2013

2012 Summer Olympics: Closing Ceremony

Photo By Dave Catchpole

I watched the closing ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics with mixed emotions.  My first emotion was, “Whew…now I can get back to getting a decent night’s sleep.”  The problem was I became addicted to watching the “games”.  How addicted?  When I would finally decide to turn out the lights for slumber, I would spend the next hour attempting to chase the awesome images of the past three hours out of my sleep deprived mind.

The next emotion was sorrow because I truly do enjoy watching these elite athletes compete against each other in the name of “global brotherhood”.  Where else can we see the USA, Russia, Turkey, Britain, Iran, Afghanistan…in heated competition, with pride and egos at stake, without the destruction of mankind? 

The Olympics have a way of allowing the world to compete on an equal playing field and in the end; we shake hands, pat each other on the back, and say, “See you in four years”.  I think our global leaders could take a lesson from these young athletes.  Still, I guess it is easy for me to feel this way when America did so well this time around.  Here was the latest medal count as of this writing:

  • United States =      46/Gold                29/Silver              29/Bronze           Total/104
  • China =                    38/Gold                27/Silver              22/Bronze           Total/87
  • Russia =                   29/Gold                16/Silver              19/Bronze           Total/64

(I just raised my hand and asked for a “high five”…)

To see all the countries and their medal count, visit the website below.  Thank you London and thank you Great Britain for an outstanding job!  See you in four years…

http://sport.uk.msn.com/olympics-2012/medal-table.aspx

Olympic Back Stories: Double Amputee Aims for Gold

Joshua “JJ” Miller

The thing which helps bring the Olympics into our living room is the “back stories”… the stories each individual athlete shares with the world regarding the triumphs and defeats in their personal lives while on their journey to represent their country.  One of the stories that struck very close to my heart is the story about the double leg amputee runner, Oscar Pistorius, and his bid for Olympic gold in the men’s 400 and 4 x 400 meter events.

This story is amazing to me because my friend is a double leg amputee and he now has a son who became a double leg amputee just after his first birthday.  The little boy’s name is Joshua, fondly nicknamed “JJ”, and he is becoming a celebrity in his own right as he begins his journey with the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

I cannot speak for the Olympic athlete, but I can say that JJ was truly blessed by God when he was given his specific set of birth parents.  JJ’s mom and dad are truly gifted in ways that make them perfect to raise such a wonderful young boy.

I would highly encourage you check out “Team JJ’s” Facebook page by clicking on the first website I have listed below. If you also want to read about Oscar Pistorius’ bid for Olympic Gold, click on the second website. 

https://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/GoTeamJJ

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/08/04/blade-runner-makes-it-to-semifinals-olympic-400/?intcmp=trending

Michael Phelps: The Most Decorated Athlete In Olympic History

How could I not dedicate today’s blog to Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history?  After winning his 18th Gold medal on Saturday in the 4×100-meter medley relay, Michael announced his retirement from the sport.

It was the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia when this amazing athlete first burst onto the Olympic platform at just 15 years of age.  A dozen years later, he leaves the sport he loves with a total of 22 medals.  Over the course of the past 12 years, Michael has brought a lot of pride to the good ole’ US of A and we are going to miss watching his mind boggling performances.

So who will carry the torch from this point forward?  Only God knows that answer but I think it would be safe to say Missy Franklin may be well on her way to keeping the “red, white, and blue” covered in gold.  Who knows, Michael may have even inspired future generations as my two year old grandson decided to strip down to his diapers and dive into a pool of pillows after he saw Phelps leave the starting block. 

A New Gold Standard

It appears we have a new gold standard.  A taxi driver in Thailand recently went against conventional wisdom and sought to do the right thing, and for no other reason then it was the right thing to do.  It seems one of his passengers was a jeweler.  This jeweler had just purchased $450,000 of gold and then did the unthinkable.  He absentmindedly left the gold in the taxi driver’s cab and walked away. 

It took a couple of days, but the taxi driver contacted the passenger and returned the gold.  For his honesty, the jeweler rewarded the taxi driver with two necklaces worth a total value of approximately $10,000.

I cannot imagine what must have been going through this taxi driver’s mind over the two days he had possession of the gold.  This man knew the gold did not belong to him. Yet, I cannot help but wonder if he He contemplated justifications for keeping the gold.  Maybe he repeated the children’s saying, “Finders keepers…losers weepers” once or twice as he tossed and turned in the middle of the night.

Ultimately he made the right decision because we will all be accountable to God one day.  The Bible tells us in the book of Romans Chapter 14, Verse 10, “…for we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” 

Do you think you could have the same mindset as our friend the taxi driver?  If a cashier gives you more change than you had coming, do you tell her or do you keep it and walk away thinking “what a blessing”?  When the taxman comes calling every April, do you claim your full income and then write off only what you legally can or do you curse the government for breaking the 8th Commandment of God, “Thou shall not steal”.