As the Olympic flame goes out in Beijing, I celebrate the men and woman who have raised the bar and our collective spirits.

Complaining about the Olympics is an easy sport, as so poignantly highlighted in the 1910 speech of Theodore Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts… the credit belongs to the man (woman) who is actually in the arena… daring greatly… (their) place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Perhaps sports cannot defeat a virus or quell conflict but it can embolden our souls so that we are better able to navigate our changing world. With tears of joy and respect, I choose to salute all Olympians, “Thank you!”

Stay tuned for the Beijing Paralympics, March 4-13!