My "A-Ha" Moment

Most of you know that I'm a HUGE Oprah Winfrey fan...that and a huge fan of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and their gorgeous children...but I digress. Anyway, in "O" Magazine Oprah always features an article about some famous person's "A-Ha" moment. I'm certainly not famous but I have to share mine.

It came during one of lectures at the Institutes. Throughout the week, we would hear success stories about some of the graduates of the program around the world. We heard about a young boy, who is now a young man, who started the program as a baby. He lived in Italy and attended the Institutes program over there. He has Down syndrome. His parents were very involved in the program and dedicated to helping him achieve his full potential. We were able to see pictures of this young boy as he grew and developed into a vibrant young man. In every picture we saw, he was surrounded by friends and family. Pictures of him traveling around the world, pictures of him doing different sporting events, pictures of him leading a full and vibrant life. In fact, he ran with the Olympic torch when the winter games were held in Torino, Italy. He also just received his Master's degree in Economics at a university in Italy. A Master's degree...amazing!

It was with this story that I breathed a great sigh of relief, a giant "A-Ha". If this young man can do it, so can Joaquin. It's not about Joaquin getting a master's degree but if that is what he wants to do, knowing that he could do it, gives me all the hope in the world.