Opening Ceremony

The Winter Olympics Games begins again tonight. Opening Ceremonies from Torino, Italy. As I nestle into a Hawaiian hibiscus-printed sofa in our rented condo on the sunny shores of South Maui to watch, the snowy backdrop of these global games does truly seem a world away.

Please join me in praying for safety and peace for all the athletes, and in gratitude for the unprecedented opportunity the Olympic Games present for human beings to come together, united in one shared purpose with a spirit of earnest endeavoring for the very best we can achieve as athletes and people. That the Olympics continue to be a worldwide event of such significnance and gives me hope, bouys my joy, and reminds me of the possibilities despite the differences.

Particularly exciting to me this year is that we'll have a family member -albeit distant- participating in these Winter Olympics! Andy Finch, my sister's husband's cousin (able to follow that?) is a member of the Team USA snowboarding team. He is in for a powerfully magnificent experience as he leads his team to do the very best they can do. Perhaps a medal will greet him at the end of his efforts, but just being there is the ultimate reward. Can you ponder the degree of honor you'd feel at the chance to represent your nation in front of the world, doing your very best at what you LOVE to do? Goodness, just imagine that...

As for me, I will be watching, praying, hoping, sharing in the joys and defeats, and feeling both patriotism and international sense of comaraderie that inevitably accompany in the Olympic Games. May they occur against a backdrop of peace, may the joyful outcomes be well-earned, and may harmony reign.