THE STRENGTH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT

Every once in awhile something comes along that totally inspires me. A couple of years ago I was shown a video of a father and son that changed my life. This morning, as I was sitting at work, thinking about some of the tough things that are going on in the lives of the people I love, this movie came to mind. I pulled it up on YouTube and cried as I watched it for the hundredth time. It filled me with hope. It made me think of my favorite quote, "Our deepest fear is not the we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, which most frightens us..." Sometimes we fear our greatness and settle for being mediocre. Why do we do that to ourselves? We are all children of God and created in His image. We must believe and we must allow ourselves to be great. When a challenge comes along, face it head on and allow it to change you for the better. As children of God we can do anything. There is no limit to what we can accomplish in our lives, the only thing that stops us is our fear. The father and son in this video faced their fears and overcame great obstacles. They tapped into the power that lies within them and now they are moving mountains and inspiring others to do the same. I hope you will take the time to read their story (below) and watch this video. Then take a few minutes and pray to God to show you the greatness that He already sees hiding inside of you. We can all move mountains! You just have to believe!!!!


STORY: Team Hoyt is a father (Dick Hoyt) and son (Rick Hoyt, b. 1962) in Massachusetts who compete together in marathons, triathlons, and other athletic endeavors. Rick was disabled at birth by a loss of oxygen to his brain because his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, and he also suffers from cerebral palsy. Dick carries him in a special seat up front as they bike, pulls him in a special boat as they swim, and pushes him in a special wheelchair as they run.
Thanks to his parents, who ignored the advice of doctors that he would live life in a persistent vegetative state, and Tufts University engineers, who recognized that his sense of humor indicated intelligence, at the age of 12, Rick was able to learn how to use a special computer to communicate, using movements from his head. The first words he typed were, "Go Bruins!", and the family learned he was a sports fan. They entered their first race in 1977, a 5 mile benefit run for an injured lacrosse player who was a schoolmate of Rick's.
Dick is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard. Rick earned a college degree from Boston University in special education, and now works at Boston College. They continue to compete in races, and are also motivational speakers.
As of December 31, 2006, Team Hoyt had participated in a total of 942 events, including 216 Triathlons (6 of which were Ironman competitions), 20 Duathlons, and 65 Marathons, including 25 consecutive Boston Marathons. They also biked and ran across the USA in 1992 — a 3,735 mile journey that took them 45 days.
When asked what one thing Rick wished he could give his father, his reply was "The thing I'd most like is that my dad would sit in the chair and I would push him once."

VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gm7XwtIJdM