Lasting Legacies

This past week I had the privilege to read a book about a woman in her 90s. As was common for many people during that time, she grew up in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing. Her mother cooked on a wood stove, and her family used coal oil lamps for light. In the evenings they played games like “I Spy” to pass the time. With time, she saw the first telephone, then the first car, and eventually the first television come to her community.

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Go for the Gold!

What an event the Olympics Games are! Picture Olympics past that you have watched. Envision the lighting of the torch from its eternal flame in Olympia, Greece, and then being transported around the world to that year’s host country. Can you recall past Opening Ceremonies and the unique ways in which the torch was lit, such as when it was ignited by an arrow in Barcelona in 1992, or when Muhammad Ali lit the torch in Atlanta in 1996? Have you been impressed by the grandeur of Opening Ceremonies with the costumes and cultural displays? Imagine cheering on your country’s athletes in sporting events. Do you enjoy hearing triumphant stories of overcoming adversity, which might even make you root for the underdog (like the 1980 Miracle ice hockey game, the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team, or Eddie the Eagle)? Has your heart ever swollen with pride watching a medals ceremony with the playing of a winning country’s national anthem? Do you enjoy the recaps shared during Closing Ceremonies, as smiling athletes prepare to return home?

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