Asterix (c) René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

woohoo!!! bravo!!! congratulations!!! félicitations!!!
our spirits soar when we hear cheers, see admiring faces, and get pats on the back (that would send us flying across the room) for a job well done. it isnt just for the crowd's adulation that we press on toward our goal, but the prize we'd win when we finally reach that goal. an athlete knows what it means to be fully prepared, with his heart and mind set on winning.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
-- 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

on 29 august 2004 at 10:48 pm, athens' flame was snuffed out, and an awesome display of fireworks lit up the sky...

We trod like pilgrims to a shrine up the dusty stones of the Acropolis to gaze with awe at the 2,500-year-old Parthenon. Our imaginations did the rest, letting us feel the spirit of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle; Pericles and Alexander the Great; Hippocrates and Herodotus; Euclid and Pythagoras -- that brainy bunch who laid the foundation for our culture.
-- Steve Wilstein, AP Sports Columnist

life is a celebration of champions. if we look at ourselves more closely, we'd be completely blown away by what we can actually do, especially in the hour of trial. as in sports, we race on toward our goal, focused on finishing what we began. and like an athlete, we brace ourselves for whatever circumstances we may get into. life isnt all about winning, and i think, deep down we all know that. there are times when we lose -- no matter how prepared we are, but losing doesnt mean total defeat. what is most important, and a lot of us need to understand this, is that never giving up is what life is all about. we can consider ourselves victorious because of what we were able to survive.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. -- Ephesians 6:14-18

i keep reminding myself that though i lose a battle, i'll always win the war because i have someone with me who's bigger than any problem, and greater than all the kings combined, and that is, Jesus. i just try to enjoy life as it comes, having fun with every little thing that gets thrown my way. when people say, "live life to the fullest", what does it mean? someone who knows better than most answered this wisely. what he said i've carefully etched -- first in my journal, then in my heart, so that when i am all grown up, as i am now, i'd be reminded that this time, too, is meant to be relished.