A00125 - Greg Bell, Olympic Champion, and His "I Believe in You"
In my study of history, I occasionally read about an individual whose life story is exemplary. When I read such life stories I find that I am forced to stop for a while and meditate on my own existence and what my own life path means. The story I ran into today is the story of Greg Bell, the 1956 Olympic long jump champion. If you go to wikipedia you will find this all too short biography
However, if you look up the reference note, you will find a much more detailed account of the struggles of this man and the obstacles that he had to overcome to become what he eventually became.
https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2020/06/13/1956-olympic-gold-medalist-greg-bell-retires-after-50-years-dentist-indiana-iu-track-and-field/5328944002/
I wish I had the ability to share with everyone the magnificence of Greg Bell's example. However, for today, I shall simply continue to cherish Black History Month by sharing with you Dr. Bell's inspirational story and his inspirational poetry.
I wish I had the ability to share with everyone the magnificence of Greg Bell's example. However, for today, I shall simply continue to cherish Black History Month by sharing with you Dr. Bell's inspirational story and his inspirational poetry.
He is quite a man!
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Fairfield, California
February 19, 2023
| The Mirror | I Believe In You |
| A mirror doesn't show us all the things we'd like to see, It doesn't ever let us see the things we'd like to be, A mirror's not a magic glass to fulfill every dream, It surely doesn't take skim milk and give you back the cream. There's a certain kind of justice that will never let you pass A counterfeit as something real into a looking glass, The image that it gives you will match you pace for pace, You can't sneak up behind it, it will greet you face to face. And the message that we read in this fragile little thing Is what we all get out of life's exactly what we bring, 'Cause you can't receive from others if you keep yourself locked tight, And you can't discern the wrong unless you know what's right. So this piece of glass will tell us, if we only stop to hear, How our life impacts on others - those both far and near, For it seems that life reflects how we treat our fellow man, And we get the most from it by just doing what we can. If we want to look our best in the mirror of our life, We should all attempt, I think, not to add to all the strife That befalls those we might meet - let us help them as we pass, And we might like what we see, gazing from the looking glass. | There seems to be no limit as to what a man can do If he's buoyed up by the current of an "I believe in you", He can climb the highest mountain, swim the widest sea, He can be whatever person he believes himself to be. Now when I say a man can do these things, I hope you know, That a woman, too, can match a man and go where he can go, So I'm speaking of mankind, and of what this team can do, If they both support each other, and say, I believe in you". It's amazing how a person, though he thinks himself so small, When he knows someone's behind him, can dig down and give his all, And sometimes surprise himself at what he now can do, He has found this well of strength from an "I believe in you". Such a startling revelation, when you've done all you can do, To step back and see you've done all you really wanted to, And you know you owe the thanks for these dreams of yours come true To the faith of all the people who said, "I believe in you". |
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