By Aliette Silva 
Men hug.
Tightly and while teary-eyed.
Men support one another.
Lift one another up.
Say encouraging words to one another when feeling defeated.
Tell one another they are strong and capable.
Men get emotional.
They get angry.
They cry.
They worry.
They celebrate.
They activate beast mode.
TOGETHER.
Men pray together
They speak affirmations to each other to bring their dreams into existence.
And through it all, they are still men.
Showing their feelings only makes them stronger.
They tap into their emotions to give themselves and those around them power.
It doesn’t take away from their manhood.
The muscles are still out of this world.
The upper body strength is still Herculean.
The testosterone is never in question.
The U.S. Men’s Gymnastics team is all of this and so much more.
Tears flowed as I watched them compete last night.
And after every rotation what captured hearts across America were not just the flawless routines.
The stuck landings.
The incredible flips.
The strength and poise.
What captured America were these young men’s hearts.
How they showed up and showed out FOR EACH OTHER.
Defining the word team.
Showing little boys everywhere what that means.
Exemplifying everything that is wonderful about the Olympics.
Strength.
Individualism.
Team work.
Diversity.
Perseverance.
Grit.
Love.
They won the bronze medal and the world’s hearts.
Frederick Richard, Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Brody Malone, and Stephen Nedoroscik, thank you for giving us such a gift.
Originally published on the author’s Facebook page
by Her View From Home 
by Leslie Means 
