awww, this made me cry a little bit...

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 6:43am

a friend of mine in Oakland sent this to me...

"Some people understand life better,
And others call these people "retarded"

...At the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back......every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story...Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

Happiness lives for those who cry,

those who hurt,

those who have searched,

and those who tried,

for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives."

Updated On: 9/9/04 at 06:43 AM

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:09am

Thanks for sharing Joeyjoe. I've worked for years with children like this and we can all learn from them. Believe me, this world would be a much nicer place to live in.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:45am

Absolute perfection. I hope this gets sent to many people today.

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:56am

these children set an example for all of humanity... i, for one, have tried my best to emulate of what these chilren are examples... i used to teach children like this how to swim, and i can remember the JOY in their faces at accomplishing each little step, and how much they relished the praise they received from all of us... truly remarkable...

[Marquise]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:58am

thanx for sharing that with us joeyjoe..awesome

[mominator]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 8:02am

Thanks joeyjoe! Stories like this can clear up even the cloudiest of days.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 9:20am

Thanks joeyjoe - my goosebumps for the day.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 9:24am

Beautiful.

My 10 year old nephew is handicapped, and the Special Olympics (and local affiliated programs) are SO important in these children's lives. And - the family members and friends of the children are some of the kindest, warmest and most accepting people I've ever met. If you have never participated in a Special Olympics event - or even attended one - I encourage you to do so. It will change you in a profound way.

Updated On: 9/9/04 at 09:24 AM

[secret-soul]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 9:24am

that was so cute...i'm gonna cry now...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 11:50am

Big hug to JoeyJoe! You made my day Buddy! Thanks.

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 12:10pm

you're quite welcome!

[laactress]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 12:48pm

What a fantastic story, thank you!

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 12:51pm

thank you, laactress.. and welcome to the boards!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 1:43pm

Squish, Squish...pass the Kleenex.

That was an amazing story.

[Mythus]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 3:37pm

While that story is touching, I have to point out that it never happened. Something similar to it happened - at the 1976 Special Olympics, during a track and field event, one of the atheletes fell. One or two other atheletes helped him, and they crossed the finish line together.

Sorry, it's just really been bothering me. You can read more about it here: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/special.htm

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 3:40pm

spoil sport... just couldn't let the good feeling last, could you... and the fact that it was only one or two, doesn't change the meaning...

disclaimer: i did not know this was an "urban legend" and the Barbara Mikkelson who has taken it upon herself to debunk this story is very overanalytical... Updated On: 9/9/04 at 03:40 PM

[Mythus]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 3:44pm

Woah, okay! Don't bite my head off. It is a touching story, I admitted that in my post. But it still never really happened.

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 3:47pm

still, i think the feel-good of the story shouldn't be denied, despite what barbara mikkelson's over-analytical, uh, analysis states...

Mythus and I are okay... :) Updated On: 9/9/04 at 03:47 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 6:14pm

I don't think that link ruins the story at all. Read the whole page- it makes it better because it's real (and still quite touching) rather than exaggerated for the sake of being more Hallmark perfect.

[NoDayButToday2]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:07pm

aww that was so sweet! im forwarding it to all my friends

[BroadwayMonkey]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:19pm

How wonderful.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:24pm

That is so beautiful. I knew a kid who was mentally handicap and no matter how bad of a day I had, he would always cheer me up by giving me a hug. We really can learn from these kids. We live in a selfish world, and these kids possess something that we grew out of once we hit a certain age........acceptance.

[BroadwayMonkey]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:31pm

What age do you think acceptance leaves you?

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 7:34pm

I have no clue, but children don't care what race you are or whatever........they just know that this is someone to play with.

[insomniak]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 10:40pm

joey, thank you for posting this. It's so sad that people throw around the word retarded as a synonym for stupid and thit story shows why that's wrong. Everyone has something to offer and learn from others.