To be a winner, all you have to give is...

To be a winner, all you have to give is all you have
--Anonymous

I was told a story of a man who his whole life could never be better than his older brother. One stormy day, along the beach, he challenged his brother to a swimming race out in the ocean as they had done as boys. The older brother said he would race him ONLY if he would finally give up this ridiculous notion that he could ever win. The younger brother agreed.

As the rain poured down close to dusk they threw off their clothes and charged the shore. Into the ocean they went, thrusting forward through the waves, straining every muscle through the icy water, side by side, pressing forward through the tide as if life itself depended on it. As the older brother came up for air at the finish line, out deep in the ocean far past the wave break, he saw that his younger brother had beaten him!

in shock he asked how after all these times did you beat me here? It was simple the younger brother replied as he bobbed in the darkening sea...I didn't save anything for the swim back, and with that he dropped below the water line...the older brother stretched out his arm, grabbed his younger brother and carried him back to shore.

All we have to give, includes all those around us have to give, whether they like it or not...
--GSzabo