Review: A Story of the Challenged
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 10, 2011
This is a very nice story about Marge, a woman whose arthritis has finally put her in a wheelchair and she is very bitter and angry about it. Her joints in her fingers grow larger and more painful, and painting and working with her houseplants is about all she can do.  She has agreed to take on an Olympian, Alan, from the local area for the weekend, who also has some kind of physical challenge with which me must deal. As the time for him to arrive gets closer, Marge becomes more and more unsure of the decision she's made.  Her son, Jed, and her friend and neighbor, Mary, try to encourage her, but she remains adamant that the boy won't like her and will see her as inadequate, and she fears she won't be able to do the job.Finally the day rolls around and she meets her Olympian, whose event is Nordic skiing.  Things go quite differently than she she expects, and when she sees the boy Alan out on the gym floor and also lighting the Olympic torch, she waves to him, but he doesn't wave back.  Marge spends the rest of the ceremony in tears, until she finally meets Alan.This is a very nice, warm story about people helping each other.  It's also about how hard we are on ourselves when we don't need to be.  We see ourselves one way and other people see us another.  The story of Marge and Alan is heartwarming and nice, and I like the relationship, also, between Marge and her son, Jed.  He is very helpful and respectful of his mother.  Marge's friend helps to add a sense of humor and that helps Marge, too.  A nice story for anyone to read, and especially if you're having a bad day.