The Induction of Michelle (Shelly) Raynes into the Special
Olympics Utah Hall of Fame.
A Winning Combination
The lights were bright and the environment was elegant when
Shelly Raynes was being inducted into the Utah Special Olympics Hall of
Fame. I was sitting at a large round
table with old and new friends in the ballroom of a hotel in downtown Salt Lake
City where we shared a nice view of the podium from our seats.
I also had another view that I most likely would not have
noticed were it not for the boisterous nature of the people sitting at one
table in particular. Yes, it was the
exuberant cheering from that table that caught my attention, but that was not
what kept my gaze fixed there for almost the entire time Shelly was on the
stage.
When I say my gaze, perhaps it is almost more accurate to
call it contemplation. I was listening
to the induction while carefully studying the people just a couple of tables
away.
“Shelly grew up in a large family which she refers to as
‘the Ten Red Heads.’”
When these words entered my ears I looked ever more
carefully and confirmed that there were many red headed people sitting at that particular
table. It was becoming obvious to me
that these were more than just Shelly’s fans.
They were steadfast and devoted fans.
A steadfast fan could also be called unwavering and at one
point during the presentation I watched one of the red headed women stand tall
at her seat. Her hands were clasped together near her heart and her eyes were fixed
at the proceeding. She looked on with
misty eyes filled with joy, an icon of steady and firm purpose. She was there to celebrate her sister’s
success.
It is not my intent here to diminish Shelly’s success in any
way, but her real success reaches far beyond the athletic fields and courts. It is rooted in personal relationships that
have been tested by time and cemented by sacrifice and service. Her victories, though impressive, would be
less sweet and possibly hollow without being able to share them with her family,
friends and community.
After all, it is the personal process of striving in
combination with others that allows a person to become more than they could
ever become on their own. I believed
that to be true before I had children.
But, it was the process of sacrificing my own comfort, time and energies
for the benefit of my children before I knew this to be true. Shelly’s sister knows it too. I recognized the look in her eyes and on her
face as one who has been refined by this process.
So for me, the induction process was not completed until
Shelly walked off the podium and into the waiting arms of those who share her
love and victory. They have truly discovered
the secret of winning through combination.
