Friday Night Lights

I am not a big "autumn person". I love the summer. I enjoy the heat and being outside in the sun. I'll take 90 degrees almost any day over 50. There is one big exception to my anti-fall attitude. FOOTBALL! And not just any football, high school football. Almost 25 years ago my father and I started what would become a very rich tradition for us. We started attending high school games at what would (many years later) become my alma matter. I loved every minute of it. We would share a pack of peanut M&M's after my soccer games and watch the final 3/4 of the high school game. It was wonderful. Watching those athletes (who then looked like giants but now look like children) play with nothing but pure heart. It solidified my love of sports in general.

Here I am, almost 25 years later and this is one of the traditions in my life I enjoy the most. I have missed only a handful of games in all of those years. It is the one thing that my Dad and I do together, just us. And every week as I yell for those young men until my throat hurts it feels like Christmas morning and Thanksgiving rolled into one wonderful holiday. The smell of the leaves in the air. The hint of a chill to the wind. Those first days of wearing a sweater and jeans. It is magical.

And now, as I watch my nephews work their way tirelessly through the feeder youth program I am even more in awe. Watching these kids, who have spent 10+ years getting ready for this chance, take the field brings a smile to my face. They don't play for money or notoriety or fame. They play because they love the game. Because they have played since they were five. Because this is a moment for them to shine.

To some it might be nothing but a bunch of high school kids playing ball but to me it is a holiday.