Do You Have A Gold Medal? I Don't!

The Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia will be over in a few days and most of us have enjoyed watching superior athletes compete for the precious gold medal that is given to the winner. Of the few dozen who will "win the gold," there are hundreds more that tried, but never quite skated fast enough, allowed the puck to get to the net, or missed that difficult move on the ice. I feel for those who tried to "win the gold," but never quite made it!


It is a little like life! All of us want to succeed at whatever we try, if we didn't we would never try, right? Whether we are trying to climb the ladder of professionalism or write that one song that will make our name memorialized forever or be the kind of parent that will allow our children to "rise up and call us blessed!" We all want to "win the gold!"

But what about those of us who fall a hundredth of a second short? What of those that never make it out of the mailroom in the office complex? What of the author whose work is good, but not "that" good? What if I must settle for silver or even bronze or no medal at all? Am I a loser because I did not "win the gold?"


As I sit and ponder what happened in life's Olympics, I must consider how much effort I made! Did I give it my all? Could I have work harder? Could I have spent more time honing my skills? Was I expecting way too much out of myself? These and other questions will make me wonder until the next time I choose to compete!


Remember one thing. You may never wear the gold medal around your neck, but that does not mean you are not a winner! Victory is nice, but trying to win creates the spirit of determination!

"Not everyone wins a gold medal...but everyone can try!"

Who Will Be Number Eight?

Am I the only person in the world who never heard of becoming an "honorary citizen of the United States?" I hope not! Did you know that throughout our 234 years of existence that we have honored seven people with "honorary citizenship?" I must have missed the day in history class where this was discussed.



The first one to receive such an honor was General Lafayette in 1784. He was selected for the part he played in our Revolutionary War. This was done by a very grateful nation!



It was two hundred years later before the second such honor was bestowed on Raoul Wallenburg (1981) for his efforts to rescue the Jews from the gas chambers during the Holocaust. Again, a much deserved recognition. I do wonder if there were no others during that two hundred years that accomplished something worthy of note, but he was the second one chosen.



The next two where a husband and his second wife. William and Hannah Penn were bestowed this honor in 1984 for their contributions to our nation through their work in Pennsylvania, but I am not exactly sure what those contributions were. Remember, I said that I must have missed history class the day that these things were discussed!



Kazimierz Pulaski was honored as the "father of the American calvary" in 2009, obviously making him the most recent so honored "citizen of the United States."



Even though the above honorees were recognized after their deaths, two were given the distinction as "honorary citizens" during their lifetime. Sir Winston Churchill was designated in 1963 for his leadership during World War II and for his very close ties with the United States during this period of history. The other honoree was Mother Teresa who was given the award in 1996 for her humanitarian ministry among the poor of this world.



I am wondering who will be the next person given such esteem? Where is that person living? What is he or she doing to merit such acclaim? Who will be the one that nominates them for such an award?



These and other interesting questions await answers!