Winners & Losers

"Applaud us when we run, Console us when we fall, Cheer us when we recover."
-Edmund Burke

There was a lot of talk on the television this weekend about winning.

And losing.

The talking heads on MSNBC, CNN, & FoxNews rambled on and on about the campaigns, the candidates, and the upcoming election. Speculation ran amok as pundits and prophets all contributed their two cents worth and placed their bets. Meanwhile, Obama, McCain, Palin, & Biden cheered their supporters onward. expressing their optimism as to their respective chances of victory.

The talking heads on CBS, Fox, and NBC rambled on and on about the games, the players, the season, and the fast approaching play off picture. They disected the plays, analyzed the teams' strategies, and did their best to appear knowledgable about the game of football. And after the games, the quarterbacks and coaches took the podium and faced the press as winners. And losers.

A loving mother and a caring step-father sit quietly beside a hospital bed in the ICU. They stroke the cheek of a beloved son. They hold his hand. They search for hope in the eyes of doctors and nurses. In the family lounge, friends wait, hoping they can somehow ease the burden, if only for a moment. Family members cry, releasing the strain of sitting vigil.

They know there are no winners or losers in real life.

There are only people doing the best they can today.

And doing it again tomorrow.

And wondering why everyone else thinks winning is so important.

I thank you for your prayers.

Tyler's family thanks you for your prayers.

Together, we keep hope alive.