Olympic Magic

I wanted to get this posted while my heart is still pounding. I just witnessed a once in a lifetime experience.
The Olympic Torch came through our area!!! It was literally about 10 minute walk (or 1 minute drive) from my front porch! I let the boys stay up from their nap to witness it along with friends Morgan, her grandma, sister Odessa, and two daughters Adayla and Ryan.
I could barely sleep last night thinking about it-- how exciting for it to be so close! Despite all the controversy, this country deserves it, the people deserve it. While some don't agree with government, I'm glad they kept seperate it from the Olympic spirit that bonds all countries and races.
When we got there, we were expecting a pep ralley. But there was a calm reverence in preparation for the pass of the tourch, you'd almost think it had already passed through. Then all of the sudden the busses pull up with the runners. They started yelling "ZHONG GUO-- JIA YOU!" Literal translation: "Add Gas China!" or "Go China!" These people were so overwhelmed with excitement. See the bottom of this post for the background of the tourch.

INFO ON THE BACKGROUOND OF THE TOURCH:The Olympic flame is a practice continued from the ancient Olympic Games. In Olympia (Greece), a flame was ignited by the sun and then kept burning until the closing of the Olympic Games. The flame first appeared in the modern Olympics at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The flame itself represents a number of things, including purity and the endeavor for perfection. In 1936, the chairman of the organizing committee for the 1936 Olympic Games, Carl Diem, suggested what is now the modern Olympic Torch relay. The Olympic flame is lit at the ancient site of Olympia by women wearing ancient-style robes and using a curved mirror and the sun. The Olympic Torch is then passed from runner to runner from the ancient site of Olympia to the Olympic stadium in the hosting city. The flame is then kept alight until the Games have concluded. The Olympic Torch relay represents a continuation from the ancient Olympic Games to the modern Olympics.