Were any of you able to tear your eyes away from the television yesterday as we watched beautiful Gabby earn her gold medal?  I was so excited to see her so confident and smiling on the mat during her floor exercise--her smile lit up the room!  Her enthusiasm and joy of life brought to mind this favorite poem of mine, attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson (but more likely written by Bessie Stanley in 1905 in a slightly different version)

SUCCESS

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.