GOD IS FIRST, CHERYL IS SECOND, WE ARE THIRD

By Peter Vuono

Dedicated to the Memory of Cheryl Lopez- 1963-2015 and to
her husband Ramon and daughter Alicia


   I attended the funeral of an old friend, Cheryl Lopez yesterday. All funerals are sad but I made myself listen intently to the eulogy of he priest, her strong and eloquent uncle and her intrepid and devoted daughter. My eyes welled to capacity as a family friend read one of my favorite passages from the bible where Jesus commended his good and faithful servants whom he called into his kingdom.
   Amongst the eulogies, I could not help but think of how similar Cheryl's life was to another brave victim of cancer, Brian Piccolo. That is why the title of this story may seem familiar to you because it's a reworking of Gale Sayers' book, I Am Third. In a matter of seconds my mind fell back to the 60's and to the present in awe of how these two brave and wonderful people were so similar.
   Both were born in MA. Both were from very athletic families; Piccolo played for the Chicago Bears as a running back and full back and Cheryl's brother is an Olympic lifting champ and world strongest man.  Both have had family members who have been quite ill. Cheryl's siblings also struggled with cancer. Brian Piccolo's brother was so ill that his family was forced to move to Florida. Both are Italian who had Italian parents on both sides of the family. Both were married until their deaths and had girls as their children. Both struggled with cancer and battled it fearlessly.
  Piccolo played for many games while sick. Only in one fateful game in 1969 did the pain become so severe that he was forced to ask to be benched. When I saw Cheryl at her brother's birthday party in Feb. she was a tower of strength; exuberant, strong, upbeat and friendly. She refused to let anyone know of her pain and struggle. Both Brian and Cheryl were gifted with enormous inner strength. The kind that I've been praying for my whole life but was never able to attain. However they were not just a kindred spirit becasue of their similar lives but also because of their intense devotion.
  Cheryl, like Brian Piccolo was a devoted wife and mother. She had and frequently displayed her devotion and love for her family. She was devoted to her job and her community and was of  the kind of human fabric that gave her town and country the kind of great reputation that it once had.
  So when I think of Cheryl, I will always miss her. But as time goes by her memory will mirror the last line in Brian Piccolos's biography, Brian's Song. I will not think about how she died. I will smile and think about how she lived.

GOD WILL TALK IF YOU LISTEN

by Peter Vuono

(Please excuse me getting away from my usual articles about strength and valor but today's blog is about a superior kind of strength)

     My wife and I listen often to Dr. Charles Stanley, an evangelist out of Atlanta. He once said that God will speak to us if we merely be still and listen. Today, through a defenseless little animal, he spoke.
    Since 1959, when I first saw Steve Reeves, I wanted to be strong. When an article written by a pro wrestler convinced me that weights were the answer, that is all I did. My first powerlifting meet was in 1973 and my next will be very soon. I was injured MANY times with everything from a ruptured bicep tendon to a broken back and heart attack and yet, I refused to stop. Yet I can tell you that I was never once satiated. No matter what trophy I won, how many boards I broke, a Black Belt or ripped in half phone books, I was always left empty.
   Today, after the mandatory yard work and work out, I sat silently with my son's girlfriend Joelle's little puppy sitting in my lap sleeping. I prayed over him and blessed him. I asked Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals to protect him and God spoke.
   I realized that this little puppy was innocent, weak, meek, loving and didn't have a mean bone in his tiny body. I thought of the sermon on the mount that Jesus made and how he wanted ALL of us to strive for these virtues even if we fail to obtain them. I then realized that the outer strength that I've worked for , for 45 years was not nearly as important as the inner strength I really needed that ONLY comes from God and his divine teachings. All of this sent to me from God through one of his blessed, defenseless creatures.
   Sure, I'll continue to train but the thrust of my perspective has gone in another direction. The meek shall inherit the earth and perhaps in my case, it will be the inner strength that I always needed and sought after in the wrong direction.A strength I've yet to attain.
    If we all took the example of the least of God's creatures just think  how different the world will be. HE's talking to you. Don't wait to listen as I did.

"He who conquers others is strong, he who conquers himself is mighty"- Shaolin saying