Football!!!!! I'm ready for some football. My son
has begun his middle school season and I've been busy feeding his bottomless
pit of a stomach,running him to practice, and washing those funky uniforms at
the end of the night. He is off in the distance practicing as I write this
blog. I hear the smashing of helmets, the QB calling the plays, and the
whistles blowing. Oh the excitement is in the air as the new season begins.
I"m amazed how the little guys can take such a beating, catch their breath and
line up for the next play. They ice their injuries and soak in Epsom salts
with hopes that tomorrow they can get back in the game. We could all learn
something from these kids. They have a special something that gives them hope
to endure and to pick themselves up despite the odds being against them. I'll
never forget the time when Joey came to me after his first football
practice. He stuck his elbow in my face and said "Look, Mom, my first bruise
from football." He was so proud of his football wound. He had earned that
bruise. At that point in time, he didn't want a mommy kiss to make it better.
He wanted the reassurance that he was tough and could withstand anything
those boys dished out. I can't believe I told him his bruise was cool.
Little does he know that football can be compared to life. When life hands you a tough defensive line, dig in your feet and push as hard as you can to get through the challenge. When life hands you a painful blow, take time to heal and then get back in the game. When life seems to offer only losses, have faith, don't quit and keep playing to win.
As I wrote this blog the players had to move indoors because a small storm was passing through.
Their noisy little selves are beginning to emerge from the barracks where they huddled during the rain.
I glanced at the sky to see how it looked since the players were back on the field and to my surprise...a beautiful rainbow.
The rainbow is a gift that represents a
promise. Funny how a mom can take the manly sport of football and turn it into
life lessons and rainbows of promise. HA!!
I guess I'm in this mood because my Aunt Mary from Georgia is visiting us. Aunt Mary is a cancer survivor. Life dealt her a painful blow, she persevered,
took time to heal and is back in the game of life. Hopefully my son will some day apply the lessons
learned in football to his life. We shall see....until then....3,19,
hut,hut,hut.....Joey get your man!
Your blog is very eloquent about comparing and rainbows and life. I would have simply written "life is like football. you see the goal and run with the ball. just when you are in sight of that goal, someone comes out of nowhere and knocks you on your butt." I think life is like that too.
MarkI don't know what grade Joey is in, but he will have a lot of memories later on in life playing football.
At times I forget my password to certain websites, but I can still remember the sequence of plays that took place at McDonough High School 20 years ago. Running laps, the tip drill, studying the playbook, salt pills, ankle wraps, bus rides that Supersub would say smelled like feet, watching film, Thursday night practices, the sudden New Orleans rainstorms, the blocking sleds, the Blaster, the fifty series, the coaches, the teammates, the fans, the rivalries. My coach used to say, "You can't make candy out of possum poop."
Joey will have a lot of memories of his football playing youth someday.
03:47 PM EST