Why Me ?

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was a World No. 1 professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles -US Open (1968), Australia Open (1970), and Wimbledon (1975)-, ranking him among the best tennis players from the United States.

Ashe, an African American, was the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.

In the late 1980s, Ashe contracted HIV from a blood transfusion he received during heart bypass surgery.

One of his fan wrote to him, "Why did God choose you to have it (HIV)?"

Ashe answered, "In this world there are :
50 millions kids want to play tennis,
5 millions of them get to learn to play tennis,
500 thousands of them get to learn to play tennis professionally,
50 thousands of them get enter the field to play,
5000 make it to Grandslams,
50 make it to Wimbledon,
4 play at the semifinal,
2 play at the final,
and when I held the Wimbledon trophy, I did not ask God, 'Why me?'
So, even in my condition right now, I shouldn't ask Him, 'Why me?'

Ashe founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to to educate others about HIV and AIDS before his death.

On June 20, 1993, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

Source: Wikipedia

Beautiful Prayer

A running championship for kids was held that morning. The sky was clear and the air was most fresh. Stands were crowded with spectators. Contestants lined up and prepared themselves just behind the starting line. One was seen clasping both her hands muttering an unheard prayer.

The whistle was blown and the contestants started run with all their might toward the finish line. In a tight race, the girl who prayed turned out to be the star that morning. She crossed the finish line first and won the championship.

At the medal ceremony she was asked if she was glad that her prayer was answered. She said that she was happy and said that she did not pray to win. She thought that it would not be fair to pray and ask God to make her victorious and beat all other contestants.

She was then asked what her prayer was about. She answered she asked God to give her strength, so that she would not cry if she lost the race.