40 Days and 40 Nights

I love the Olympics. Summer or Winter, I love the games. The Summer Olympics are 40 days away. The eighth day in the eighth month in the eighth year, the games begin. The first games I remember sitting down and watching were the Winter Games in Calgary in 1988. I would curl up in my dad's recliner and watch the coverage. This was followed by summer games in Seoul. Why the Olympics? I like the pageantry of the opening ceremonies as well as the parade of nations. I like seeing the athletes with such pride for their country. Some people were concerned when they split the summer and winter games and had them alternate. I was thrilled. I only had to go every two years between games, rather than four.

I like the come from behind story; the human interest stories that come out during the games. I can still remember some of them - Rulan Gardener, the American Wrestler who beat the Russian. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. Letitia Hubert, a French figure skater who fell on every jump, but was thrilled to just be there and finish her routine. She fell so many times you could see the red marks on her legs from the ice. She got an ovation when she finished. I also like learning about where the games are being held. It's Beijing this summer and I am excited to see China, even if its only on tv.

I even love the music. Just hearing that fanfare makes me smile. But it's moments like these that bring tears to my eyes: