If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.
Jim Valvano (1946-1993) was an American college basketball coach. Born in Queens, New York, he brought his indefatigable spirit wherever he went.
A select few face overwhelming challenges in life. Encouraged by a heart filled with perseverance, these trailblazers adopt an attitude where “Can” outplays “Can’t.”
Olympics track star Wilma Rudolph overcame many obstacles in her life to achieve ultimate adoration for her speed and grace.
From the words of Wilma Rudolph: “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit.”
Born in 1940, Wilma was born in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. She was part of a large family with 21 siblings. Facing a challenging life in the segregated South, she found athletics to be her path forward in life.
However, before Wilma pursued basketball and later track, she faced major hurdles because of health issues. Born prematurely, she endured bouts with double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and polio. Her weakened left leg required her to wear a brace, and some doctors didn’t expect her to ever be able to run.
Wilma remembered her childhood journey with these words: “My doctors told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.”
Eventually, her leg grew stronger, and the brace thankfully disappeared. She became active in sports during her high school years. She was recruited by the legendary track coach at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Ed Temple.
While still in high school, Wilma qualified for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. At age 16, she was the youngest athlete on the U.S. team. As a member of the 4 x 100 meter relay, she earned a bronze medal.
After high school graduation, Wilma moved on to Tennessee State. This natural, gifted runner prepared and trained to return to the Olympics in 1960 at Rome, Italy. Nicknamed “Skeeter” by her teammates, Wilma was more than ready to compete.
At the Rome Olympics, Wilma became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympics. Competing individually in the 100 and 200 meters, she overwhelmed the other competitors for two gold medals. Wanting her teammates to also earn a cherished gold medal, Wilma anchored the winning 4 x 100 meter relay.
Accolades for Wilma continued to pour in following her Olympics’ exploits. Because of her speed, beauty, and grace, the Italian press nicknamed her “The Black Gazelle.” The Associated Press awarded her Female Athlete of the Year in 1960 and 1961.
Wilma retired from competition in 1962. She fulfilled her dream of earning a college degree. For a few years, her post-athlete life included teaching, coaching, and working with underprivileged children.
The story of this African-American girl overcoming polio, poverty, and racism became a film, “Wilma,” which was released in 1977.
The following video shares a few highlights of Wilma Rudolph’s life and Olympic career.
Keep alive the dream; for as long as a man has a dream in his heart, he cannot lose the significance of living.
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that.
Howard Thurman (1899-1981) was a American author, theologian, and civil rights leader. His writings mentored many leaders in the civil rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.
We’re not the worst thing we’ve ever done in our lives, and there’s a tendency to think that we are.
Bob (Robert) Kerrey (born 1943) served the state of Nebraska as Governor and later in the United States Senate. He was a decorated veteran who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1970.
Only the man who follows the command of Jesus single-mindedly and unresistingly lets his yoke rest upon Him, finds his burden easy, and under its gentle pressure receives the power to persevere in the right way.
From Philippians 3:13-14: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have laid hold of it, but one thing I have laid hold of: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”
German-born Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident. Many of his writings express the role of Christianity in mankind’s daily lives. He paid the ultimate price for his activism against the Nazi regime during World War II.
From Hebrews 12:1-2: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”
From James 1:12: “Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
A select few face overwhelming challenges in life. Encouraged by a heart filled with perseverance, these trailblazers adopt an attitude where “Can” outplays “Can’t.”
Born in 1909, American Glenn Cunningham transformed into one of the world’s best middle distance runners. However, there was much more to this man’s personal story.
Born in Kansas, seven year-old Glenn endured burns suffered from a gasoline explosion at school. The lower part of his body was substantially burned. Doctors said that the young boy would never walk again.
Hopelessly crippled by the burns to his legs, young Glenn proved many people wrong about his future. Not only would he walk, but he ran right into the record books.
Nicknamed the “Kansas Ironman” and “Kansas Flyer,” Glenn’s perseverance and dedicated training brought him into a setting that few could ever have imagined. He emerged as one of the world’s premiere track athletes in the 1930s. The mile run became his specialty, and he went on to win numerous races and championships.
In 1934, he established a world record in the mile run (4:06:08), and his performance would not be bettered for three years. After his world record run, Glenn was quoted, “I always believed that I could walk normally, and that was the truth. Now I will run, and run faster than anyone else.”
Glenn’s amazing willpower and faith carried him onto the world stage. Running the 1500 meter run in two different summer Olympics, he proved his greatness. He placed fourth in the 1932 Olympics at Los Angeles, but he saved his best for 1936 at Berlin when he earned a silver medal.
Glenn’s Christian faith was visible in his actions and words. One of his favorite Scripture verses came from Isaiah 40:31: “But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Throughout his distinguished running career, Glenn endured frequent leg pain. Few could imagine how he needed to overcome so much with a faith-filled, inner strength.
As Glenn’s running career wrapped up, the country needed his service in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy, and he developed new physical training programs. Later he taught athletics and physical education at Cornell College in Iowa.
One of his most noted ventures exhibited his desire to care for underprivileged children. He and his wife established the Glenn Cunningham Youth Ranch, which offered a temporary home for over 10,000 foster children.
These closing words from Glenn epitomized his approach to his life: “In running it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions.”
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