Brush with The Greatest

I've been reflecting this evening on Muhammad Ali. He's been in the media for receiving awards and opening a museum based on his career. Allow me to say that I am humbled...

This summer, I had the privilege of meeting The Greatest. I was humbled. He was walking out of the hotel that we had stayed at the previous night when my daughter's dad turned to me and said, "That looks like Muhammad Ali!" Knowing that there aren't a slew of people in Detroit who "look like" Muhammad Ali, I turned around. There he was casually going for his morning stroll.

The Champ was walking with two young people and we got into our car. We were thinking that we didn't want to impede on his morning exercise, but then rethought it and figured that this would be one of those great moments that we could later tell our daughter that she'd participated in...

We slowly approached them and I asked him if we could take his picture with the baby and he nodded yes. Then he reached out and picked up my dearest, only daughter and held her up near his face. My heart paused and I thought, does he need help holding her? But instead he held her firmly and kissed her tiny cheek.

I took the picture and was humbled. But as I looked at him, there was something more...

His eyes sparkled and they looked as though he cherished holding my daughter. This tiny person who didn't even have a clue that she was in the presence of greatness... His eyes danced with the knowledge that to even a couple of twenty-somethings, he was still The Champ. There were so many words hiding behind his eyes. I can only have wished to have met him when those words could have escaped...

This one's for you, Champ.

I know where I'm going and I know the truth, and I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want. ~Muhammad Ali


I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world. ~Muhammad Ali