Thought 27MAY2008

A LESSON IN HEART
A lesson in "heart" is my little 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, who was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in "field day" - that's where they have lots of races and other competitive events. Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of words of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting this get her down - things I have heard many famous coaches tell the players when they were faced with defeat - but before I could get a word out, she looked up and said, "Daddy, I won two of the races!"
I couldn't believe it! And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage." Ahh. I knew it. I thought she must have been given a head start ... some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could say anything, she said, "Daddy, I didn't get a head start ... my advantage was I had to try harder!"
That's heart! That's my Sarah.
Stan Frager - Extracted from 'A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul', Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Health Communications Inc., 1996
When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful - Ashanti of Ghana