Or so they told us in science class, but I’m not sure they
knew the scope of that statement.
Yesterday I opened an envelope full of clippings from my Mom. I’m over 50 now & she still clips &
sends things she finds useful…or interesting…or hopeful. I still look forward
to reading them. Yesterday the envelope was full of photos & lines about
the Special Olympics held near her Gulf Coast Florida home. Her primary reason for sending them was for
the pictures of the local police officers who were volunteering with the
Special Olympics. She did it so I could
put faces to the names of the coworkers she mentions frequently & with more
than a little pride. She volunteers with
the force, & though I’m definitely biased I take the fact that she was just
given the Volunteer of the Year Award as proof I’m not the only one who values
her sizeable contribution.
I too am more than a little proud.
So, after recognizing nearly all the captioned names for the
officers pictured, I read the attached article.
I laughed as I read about the 8 year old runner who was so overjoyed
with his race that he just kept running…& running…eventually necessitating
an impromptu chase by his Mother & a couple of volunteers before his energy
could be contained…
And then, like a swift punch came the memory that other
headlines yesterday described another 8 year old, another race, & an unimaginably
different outcome.
In my mind now, those two 8 year olds & their stories
are permanently linked. I won’t ever
again see the photos of the victim without seeing those of the victor in that
other race.
And I’ll see the volunteers & first responders in both
races…and rely on those images to move forward.
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