An Athlete's Prayer

It was right before the big one and the football player said,
"Excuse me guys for just a sec while I go bow my head."
And in the quiet of that room
The football player prayed,
"Oh God if nothing hear me now
I know that fate is made."

"So help us Lord to win this game,
It's the big one, man, you see,
If we lose this game that's it for us,
Please do this, Lord, for me."

And as his body knelt in prayer,
He looked up to the sky,
"And while I'm here, and have some time,
I need to ask you why?"

"They say you never help teams win,
Just do it once I pray,
We will pay you back in kinder deeds
Or in another way."

"The reason I can't help you win,"
The Lord just then replied,
"Is as you're asking me to win,
So is the other side."

"I'm everybody's father and
I must not take one side,
So games are played all on your own
Or they would all be tied."

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't pray,"
He answered him with care,
"You can pray that players don't get hurt
And that all the calls are fair."

"And then I won't just watch the game,
I'll bless it with my care,
Because my dear son you need to learn
That life's not always fair."

And while the player heard this voice,
He bowed his head in prayer,
"I pray for fairness," said the boy
"And for your tender care."

"You shall be blessed," the Lord replied,
"Your team and you the same,
And now will you excuse me boy,
I cannot miss this game."

--Sandy Dow Mapula

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I Won't Be Left Behind

I run my fastest
But still get beat.
I land on my head
When I should be on my feet.
I try to move forward,
But I am stuck in rewind.
Why do I keep at it?
I won't be left behind.

The harder I am thrown,
The higher I bounce.
I give it my all,
And that's all that counts.
In first place,
Myself, I seldom find.
So I push to the limit-
I won't be left behind.

Some people tell me you can't,
Some say don't.
Some simply give up.
I reply, I won't.

The power is here.,
locked away in my mind.
My perseverance is my excellence,
I won't be left behind.

Make the best of each moment,
The future is soon the past.
The more I tell myself this,
The less I come in last.
Throughout my competitions,
I've learned what winning is about.
A plain and clear lesson-
Giving up is the easy way out.

So every night before I go to bed,
I hope in a small way I have shined.
Tomorrow is a brand-new day,
And I won't be left behind.

--Sara Nachtman

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Imprints

When I resolve into the essence
That I most truly am,
I feel a deep connection
With every living thing.
For that which most imbues me
With my identity
Is somehow in the other, too,
So that when I look around
I see myself-reflected.
Hidden in this union
Is the wonderful discovery
That if indeed the angels
Have wings-
Then so do I.
And if the essence of a flower
Drifts out on a gentle breeze-
Then so do I.
And if the midnight sky
Is radiant with light-
Then so am I.
And if the silent mystery
Somehow becomes revealed
In tiny dewdrops fair-
Then so will I.
For every lovely thing
Manifests the essence
Of which I am a part,
So beware, my soul, beware,
And move with gentle heart
Throughout this mystic veil.
For if Love has left its imprint here-
Then so have I!

--Donna Miesbach

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Inspirations

Courage is the discovery that you may not win.
and trying when you know you can loose.

Honor is standing for what you believe-
not for what you know.

Life isn't about living without problems.
Life is about solving problems.

If you plow the field every day-
the only thing that grows is resentment.

Compassion is passion with a heart.

The only thing in the whole universe people need to
control are their attitudes.

How a person wins and loses is much more important
that how much a person wins and loses.

If you only do what you know you can do-
you never do very much.

There are no failures-
just experiences and your reactions to them.

Getting what you want is not nearly as important
as giving what you have.

Going on a journey with a map requires following
directions-
Going on a journey without one requires following
your heart.

Talent without humility is wasted.

If you don't want it bad enough to risk losing it-
you don't want it bad enough.

When life knocks you down you have two choices-
stay down or get up.

--Tom Krause

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