life is cruel... more cruel for some than for others... but luckily... some of us are stronger than others

Wish Granted...
a five year old girl born without arms gets a bike
www.southwestiowanews.com

Roy Perkins Paralympic Swimmer, also born without arms
www.teamusa.org

Roy Perkins Jr... the son of a childhood friend of mine with the same name

Years ago I would see my childhood friend Roy Perkins out on a tandem
a tandem with a modified handlebar system for a young boy without hands to grab the handlebars
it was really quite a site
a moderately normal site
a father out for a bike ride with his son

well...
the efforts of the parents paid off
Roy Perkins Jr. grew to be a young man with strength, skill, and competitive spirit
amazing

born in 1990...
the parents were young
just out of college
so young... maybe younger than most people should be when having children
and then... they had a child with special needs

I did not witness any more of this couple's parenting other than the infrequent chance run ins with the father and son our on a weekend bicycle ride
but cheers to the parents... their efforts are inspirational
if they were able to foster the environment to help Roy overcome his "handicap" and become a world class athlete
well... maybe we could all do a little better with our kids

I will try to be more patient with my children
and
I will try to be more supportive of their interests
but really... I am not sure if I know how to "light the fire within"