Gosh, I love the Olympics! This morning Rachel and I watched stories that touched our hearts and touched history. We got to see the best of the best and stories of redemption (the theme for the United States women gymnasts) and come backs and stirring races won in unbelievable fashion. I've loved the stories.
Who is Scottie Scheffler? He is the number one ranked golfer in the world and his game is a joy to watch. Sunday he started the final round four shots behind the leaders with a lot of work to do. What did he do? He shot a round of 62 to come from behind and win the gold medal!!
We watched swimming. This included a relay race during which the anchor swimmer, Tori Huske, swam her final lap faster than she had ever done. The team won the gold by .12 of a second and set a world record.
I realize that er are being mentored and inspired by these role models. Simone Biles has a tattoo just below her neck with the words of Maya Angelou "And still I rise." We realize it has been called the redemption tour.
Simone withdrew in the Tokyo Olympics for safety and mental reasons - she's back! Suni Lee after winning gold in Tokyo developed kidney diseases and was told she may never do gymnastics ever again - she's back!
Meanwhile Katie Ledecky is in her fourth Olympics and continues to win gold. In her signature event - the 1500 meter swimming race - she races with such dominence that the cameras have to pan back because her competition is so far behind. Yet when the podium awards were given out, she made sure the American swimmer who won a bronze medal joined her on the top of the podium.
For the days of the Olympics, we get to see the good of humanity, We get to see the dignity of competition. I played a lot of competitive sports ranging from basketball to tennis. My goal wa to win but my goal was to challenge myself to play the highest level of the sport I could. I loved a good strong match! I loved to applaud a wonderful shot by my competition. It was the heart and the spirit of sport. I realized with the amount of sports I played I always had the chance to do my best. Remember I hadn't realized that I could do anything well. To know my body worked was the first positive self-feedback I ever had. It blessed me!
So I love watching the daily highlight film. These are athletes at the highest level. There is a joy and an enthusiasm at such a spiritual level, This is God giving us the chance to use this magnificent body provided us and to allow that body to shine. We take the material side of having been given a body and we elevate it in a way that is a powerful spiritual practice every bit as powerful as meditation.
I am so excited - we have almost another week of stories of winning, of losing, and of competing. Thank you Olympics for reminding us that not everything is war or violence or evil...........go USA!
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