[00:06.89]Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team.
[00:11.92]It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead.
[00:17.83]Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
[00:22.43]With less than ten seconds remaining,
[00:25.57]the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’Donnel.
[00:30.85]With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing cross the playground,
[00:34.95]Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had.
[00:39.17]All around me the crowd erupted. Donnel had scored!
[00:44.30]Then there was silence.
[00:46.71]Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie.
[00:53.06]For a moment there was a total hush.
[00:55.90]You see, Mickey has Down syndrome and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal.
[01:02.69]All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey.
[01:06.51]He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
[01:11.62]The silence was finally broken when Mickey,
[01:14.62]his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted,
[01:18.95]“I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!”
[01:24.97]For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react.
[01:30.11]I need not have worried. I watched, through tears,
[01:34.26]as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting,
[01:39.63]“Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!”
[01:42.91]Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey,
[01:47.03]joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
[01:51.12]Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied,
[01:57.19]“It was a tie. Everybody won.”
