Copy of Mixed Recognition Speeches

We are gathered here today to recognize those who have excelled academically in the past school year. I am honored to have been asked to take part in this very special event. We no doubt have three groups in attendance here today - those who excelled and will receive awards, those who worked hard and came up short of an award and. sadly. those who did not try at all. While we are pleased to take part in recognizing academic achievements, we encourage every one to find where your interests and abilities are and to pursue them.
To those who have tried and have lost, do not despair. There is always a time for winning and a time for losing. There's always a reason the way things turn out to the way they are. Everyone wants to win but it is beyond our control - we can only try our best. I congratulate you for trying, never mind if you did not win what is important is you have tried your best. Let us learn not to measure ourselves against the Olympics; doing so would make us lead very unhappy lives. Let us just find joy in doing our best - not measured by someone else but measured by us. For those who have never tried to compete because they believe they have no talent, that is not so - you'll never know what you've got until you try. No matter how simple we are, we are still creations of God, we are here for a very significant role; you may not be the best singer, but you can be the singer's best friend. I would like to share a part of Douglas Malloch's poem which runs this way…

We can't all be captains; we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here,
If you can't be a highway, then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or fail - Be the best of whatever you are.

I'd like to close with this message: Life can never be all wins. “Sooner or later, everyone will fall short at something important to them - whether it be a job, a dream, a relationship. Let failure in one endeavor make you better at another