A short while later, crowd rose to its feet, cheering Dave to another victory, followed by scattered applause for every athlete who crossed finish line after him. It wasn’t long before Bouncer was only one left on track, running all by herself.

That poor kid, I thought. What must she be feeling? Why didn't she just give up? There was nothing at stake now, and nothing to be gained by finishing so far behind pack. Still, Bouncer never faltered, and her serene expression never changed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bouncer finally approached final turn, a full five minutes behind even slowest runner. But then, something strange began to happen. As Bouncer entered home stretch, a cheer began to rise up from bleachers. It rose and swelled, growing louder with each stride Bouncer took toward finish line until, finally, every person in stands, regardless of which team they'd come to support, stood and cheered as if fate of entire meet hinged on this one lone girl, bouncing toward finish line.

The Bouncer turned on no extra burst of speed or big kick down straightaway. She just continued to run exactly as she’d been doing from opening gun, smiling so sweetly that it made my heart ache. But as she neared finish line, roar of crowd could be heard echoing throughout valley. And in midst of all that noise and celebration, mighty, invincible Dave walked out onto track and held out his arm to slap Bouncer's hand as she crossed finish line.

It was an incredible moment.

I've seen hundreds of races since that day, and I've seen thousands of runners cross finish line. But I've never seen anything that embodied true spirit of victory as I watched on that warm spring so long ago, when I saw a race won—and I mean won—by an ungainly girl I had laughingly called Bouncer.

So here's to you, Bouncer, wherever you may be, and may your smile always be as sweet as it was on that day.

© 2004. Gary E. Anderson. All rights reserved.

1. Do not cry over spilt milk.

There is nothing to be gained by wishing that things had turned out differently. Look forward to future that lies ahead.

2. Every cloud has a silver lining.

It may hurt so badly, but there is always sunshine or a clear blue-sky behind that cloud. It will definitely pass!

3. Everything that has a beginning has an end.

There is always a conclusion of matter and a solution to every problem. It is also evident that every mountain however steep always has a top!

4. Draw strength from within yourself.

You have power to make situation bearable by summoning your inner power to help you survive your ordeal.

5. Make plans to build a firmer foundation.

One man built his house upon sand and other built his house upon rock. Guess whose house was washed away when storm came?

6. Do not make same mistake twice.

Learn from your calamities. Look for lesson in your disaster and try to avoid getting same results by doing things differently.

7. Be a ping-pong ball.

Within you there is a tremendous innate ability to be resilient. Get ready to bounce back because you surely will. It’s just a matter of time.