Finding the Champ Were you late for lifes most important casting call?, Was all you sacrificed those many years ago worth the difficult life that you now know so well?, Did you somehow miss a turn along the way that in hindsight might very well have led to better days?, How much regret is carried in your heart?, If given the chance would you opt again for a brand new start?, Well my friend, its time you learned, Life is a one way street; there are no second chances, and certainly no u-turns, If its what youve earned, then regret is surely what youll get, Yet one thing all too frequently overlooked, is what you have, what youve got left after all they took, You may not be the richest man on your block, You may not own a single stock, You may just live from day to day, The car you drive, if you drive at all, might be someones throw-away, But if it gets you where you need to go, even if its a bit too slow, Be thankful for that simple set of wheels, Be glad as well that its a car that no one cares to steal, Thank God that you have a roof above your head, Who cares if the paint is chipped and peeled, Be happy today youve got a meal to eat, unlike so many living in the streets, More than anything, be grateful for the friends and family who accept you regardless; healthy, sick, rich or poor, Be thankful that you live in a country where tomorrow, in the blink of an eye, your circumstances can change from poor to rich, the beauty of America has always been that the limit is the sky, Never forget that the show ends only when the final curtain falls, Until that day your job is to play your part, To fight for what you know is right, to follow faithfully your heart, And regardless of how life may seem today, dont be surprised that just before that final curtain falls, youll be taking a bow at center stage, where by the way, you were always meant to be, A brilliant star that seemingly arose from ash, a star that suddenly others strive to be, One who struggled valiantly for years on end, carrying doubts throughout, yet never for a second giving thought to giving in, A long shot who wasnt supposed to finish at all, much less be standing center stage, enjoying accolades from all, No matter how long youve struggled and fought, no matter how bruised and battered you may be, When the final bell is sounded at the end of that championship round, It is you my weary and persistent friend who will stand proudly, hands raised in celebration of a hard fought victory, A long shot they said could never be, A champion who fought every round from the opening bell to the grueling end, A champion who more than once fell, facing down the hounds of hell, A champion who so often faced certain defeat, yet somehow found the strength to rise again, and again, back up to his feet, A fighter who may indeed have been born to lose, But in the end, finding the wisdom and strength to be born again, born to be a winner, Finding out, better later than never, that victory was always within his reach, Finding out that victory was something derived from within the soul, not something mortal man can teach. So heres to the Champions that live inside us, one and all. Heres to discovering the strength and courage to allow that Champion to safely shepherd us though the struggles that life so often brings our way. Strength that in the end will afford us each the dignity to stand straight and tall, no matter what challenges we may face. That when our time has run its course, we will have lived our lives to the fullest by discovering along the way the Champion who lives inside. Semper Fidelis, David K. Winnett, Jr. CAPTAIN, USMC (Ret.)
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 06:56:27 +0000
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