Special Olympics

As you may have seen from my many Facebook posts, I was blessed enough to be a volunteer this weekend at Special Olympics at UT Arlington .  Four years ago I volunteered for the first time and absolutely fell completely head over heels in love with the program - the athletes, the coaches, the other volunteers... just everything about it.  It is such a wonderful and eye-opening experience seeing so many talented people come together to compete in sports that they have trained months on end for and I was SO excited to be a part of it this year.

Last time I volunteered at Special Olympics, I learned that everyone has some form of a disability.  For the competitors at Special Olympics, their disabilities are physically seen with handicapped bodies.  However for everyone else (esp. me), our disabilities are indistinguishable from the outside.  I could write a big, long list about all the problems I have but that would be a complete waste of your time, so instead I would rather focus on the lesson that I learned this year as a volunteer...

Loretta Claiborne, a former participant of Special Olympics, gave the Opening Ceremonies speech on Friday night.  She gave an incredible account about how Special Olympics was created by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in the 1960's because she was sick and tired of hearing everyone tell these "special" people that they could not compete in sports.  So to prove them all wrong, Shriver organized the first Special Olympics in Chicago, Illinois in 1968 where physically and mentally handicapped people competed in several sporting events.  42 years ago, Loretta Claiborne competed for her first time in Special Olympics despite being told all her life that she could not and that she was not good enough to compete.

I cannot personally imagine nor comprehend how it must feel to have someones, especially someone close to you, tell you that you cannot do something.  In all my life I have never had someone tell me that I could not do something - I was always told and taught that I could do ANYTHING I wanted so long as put my mind to it and worked hard enough for it.  I don't want to brag, but look where I am today - at an amazing college, getting a world class education and about to apply for medical school. I literally have the brightest future anyone could ever ask for and the world at my feet.  Of course it took ALOT of hard work that was not fun at all, but was it worth it? Oh yes, yes it was.

I just want to say that I am SO PROUD of all the amazing athletes I met at Special Olympics this weekend. They are truly the purest and sweetest spirits I have ever met and I need to be more like them.  I know that people, maybe even family members, told these athletes that they couldn't compete because they were not good enough but despite all odds these athletes still chose to compete and you know what? They proved those disbelievers wrong!  I want to encourage everyone who takes the time to read this post to please not listen to your friends, siblings, or maybe even parents who tell you you cannot do something. They are wrong! And most importantly, stop telling yourself that you cannot do something.  You can be your own worst enemy at times, but I KNOW that you can do anything you want so long as you get down on your knees, ask Heavenly Father for help, and put in the effort that is required. Please don't give up and please do not listen to your criticizers.  You can do it - go for the gold and prove to the world that you can.  I'll see ya at the finish line. :)