Yep, another pretty day in our neck of the woods.  Starting to get warmer – good thing to – Carla is putting her transplants in the green house but has to also put a heater in for the cold nights, at least it is just the nights.

Growing up I spend a lot of time at my grandparents’ place in Sherwood.  While they had the farm portion of the property to raise vegetables to sell (it would be called a truck farm I ‘think’ today) she also had her garden.  Don’t recall all she grew besides cabbage, but I didn’t realize at the time how much work was involved in that garden – not counting the acres of beans and other vegetables they grew to sell.  My folks never had a garden.

Carla, on the other hand, was raised with a garden and a herd of steers.  When she went to her grandparents’ house they too had a garden so she was exposed to that way of life early in her life. 

For her family it was not only an annual ritual, but, a source of food that they canned and froze so they didn’t have to buy it.  Not only did it save money and kept them active, but this way they knew from where their food was coming from.

Course, they also had a lot – a LOT – of flowers in their gardens, and Carla keeps that ritual up even now.  She enjoys it.

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Philippians 4:10-12  KJV  “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

¹¹ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

¹² I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

Last month, in South Korea, the Winter Olympics were held; hundreds of young men and women competed it grueling and difficult competitions.

They worked hard to get there and represent their countries.  It required thousands of hours in preparation, exercises, practice, sacrificing time from everything else to be the very best they could be; they were in incredible condition using all their strength and mental abilities to be among the best in the world.

I recorded many of the events but was mainly interested in the Biathlon and Cross country skiing.  These are endurance races requiring the participant to be in great shape traveling several miles up and down hills on skis – then, for the Biathlon, they must shoot at very small targets, missing even one could cost them a chance at the medal, more misses almost always eliminated them, and yet they continued to compete right up to the finish.

But these athletes were in good shape, they had all their extremities and while some had colds, or the flu or some other malady that made it difficult for them, they were whole.

This month, at the same location, the Paralympics are being held, these too are young athletes participating in competition in winter sports.

I also recorded some of their competition, again mainly interested in the Biathlon and Cross country skiing. 

These participants do not have the use of their entire bodies.  All had the ability to use their arms but with some that was about all, while the ‘less’ disabled had use of their upper body, but all of them could not use legs – they were paralyzed or had amputations.

Many from America lost their legs, or the ability to use them, as soldiers in the war in Afghanistan; but, like the others, were not dwelling on what they could not do, but what they could.

Imagine going up and down hills on special skis with a ‘chair’ on top for the athlete then propelling yourself over 9 mines within an hour – using only your arms and what little upper body that you can.  While it isn’t as long and the hills are not as high as the Olympics, it is still a formidable course.

Those that are the least impacted vs those that are most are competing on the same course at the same time.  There is a formula that allows the computer to give points to the latter that helps them be competitive – similar to handicaps in golf so those that can’t play as well are given a few points to make up for having to play against the best.

It is designed to be as fair as possible to all participants.

All of these young people gave their all to be there.  They, like the Olympians last month, have spent thousands of hours preparing themselves for the sport.

They could have said, “I am injured, I can’t do this.”  Or, “life has been unfair to me, why should I put myself out?”

Or, many other reasons, excuses, anger, discouragement to stay at home and feel sorry for themselves.

Instead they compete to the best of their abilities.  Most know that they will never get a medal, but, they compete anyway.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

So, what is my excuse?

Later, Art (-: