Once a Raptor, Always a Raptor...
I went to the High School football game friday night and it's been haunting me all weekend. I need to blog about it to make some sense out of my feelings.
First off, I ran in to my second son's good friend. I started to cry! Harrison has been in Brazil for 3 months now, with only email contact. I am glad he is there, I wouldn't want him home. But seeing his peer and buddy home for the weekend made me miss him a little more.
As we climbed the bleachers, we saw many old friends that returned to cheer our school to Victory. The football bootster club had sent an email blast to all old members inviting them to come to the game to cheer the boys on. It was bittersweet seeing other past "football moms and dads" there in the stands. It's just brought back so many great memories. I miss seeing my boys on that field. I missed screaming my heart out for them to succeed. "We Believe," "You can do this," "Get em". I missed waiting with a sick stomach to see if the snap and hold would be good, or if the coverage on a pass was enough, or whatever many positions my boys were playing....I just wanted so badly for them to succeed.
I didn't experience any of that this past Friday Night. The game was good. I enjoyed being there. It was a nice night. And nice is just a blah word, I know. But that's how I felt. I was glad that our high school was winning, and that those boys were feeling the sweet reward of success on the field. But I was longing to see my own sons in #2 and #12.
My two boys had such different experiences on the football field. Matthew and the team experienced much success: emotional wins, no "benching" injuries, a trip to the state championship, playoff games, personal honors including All Region and Scholar Athlete. Harrison and his team never made playoffs. His senior year they were 2-8. They had 2 different head coaches in his 3 years on Varsity. When he finally got the chance to "Start" at quarterback his senior year, he rolled his ankle and was out the rest of the year.
Be patient....I'm getting to the point.
As I've mentioned several times on this blog, I would go back if I could. I would love to cheer them on just one more time. There's nothing like the crowd at a football game when you can scream at the top of your lungs, for your son specifically, and not look like a crazy person. I think that we never stop cheering on our kids...we never stop wanting them to succeed. But nowadays, I can't holler "catch it" or "defense" or "come on harrison you got this". It's more like a text "Good luck on your test", or an email "I'm proud of you." Those will have to do.
I think my sfb for today is seeing the real life benefit that all those years on the football field yielded. No, my sons don't play college football. I'm talking BIGGER. They don't quit when something is difficult. They know how to work as a team in either a study group, in a work environment, or in service. They respect leadership. They know that bad things happen to good people. They understand that life isn't always fair. When sons are 17, they don't listen to their mothers. But they learned necessary life lessons on the football field. I'm proud of who they are today. It was worth it...the years in the car, the late family dinners, the sacrificed family vacations. I don't have a Raptor Football Player anymore. I have the memory, and I have sons that are honorable men.
Ok, I can move on now that I've found the Sweet Fringe Benefit of not having a football player anymore.
I'm so excited! We have Fall weather this week! Even though we will be climbing in to the 70's through the week, I'm celebrating by wearing my boots today. I don't profess to be the most hip, up-to-date stylish person. I bought these Vince Camuto boots 2 years ago. I STILL love them. I know there may be more current fashionable boots, with slouch, or ankle high, or pointy-toed. But I don't believe you have to get a new pair of boots every year just to exactly match the current trend. The fashion industry ALWAYS tweaks their styles every year...to get people to spend money. Mix what's already in your closet with something new for the season. Or try wearing a different combination of colors that you already have to create a new fall season look.
The skirt is new, from LOFT. Its a soft, lightweight horizontal knit, with a wide grossgrain waistband. I thought it was fun to add a red t-shirt to the outfit. The caramel-colored boots are highlighted with the bronze-brown multi-strand pearl necklace by Emaack Designs. The jeans jacket is by CAbi several years ago...it's a faded black/grey color. Don't think that because you have a black jacket on you have to wear black boots. You don't have to matchy-match.
Thanks for letting me sort out my feelings on the blog today. I can move on. Phew...
Nanette
First off, I ran in to my second son's good friend. I started to cry! Harrison has been in Brazil for 3 months now, with only email contact. I am glad he is there, I wouldn't want him home. But seeing his peer and buddy home for the weekend made me miss him a little more.
As we climbed the bleachers, we saw many old friends that returned to cheer our school to Victory. The football bootster club had sent an email blast to all old members inviting them to come to the game to cheer the boys on. It was bittersweet seeing other past "football moms and dads" there in the stands. It's just brought back so many great memories. I miss seeing my boys on that field. I missed screaming my heart out for them to succeed. "We Believe," "You can do this," "Get em". I missed waiting with a sick stomach to see if the snap and hold would be good, or if the coverage on a pass was enough, or whatever many positions my boys were playing....I just wanted so badly for them to succeed.
I didn't experience any of that this past Friday Night. The game was good. I enjoyed being there. It was a nice night. And nice is just a blah word, I know. But that's how I felt. I was glad that our high school was winning, and that those boys were feeling the sweet reward of success on the field. But I was longing to see my own sons in #2 and #12.
 |
| Harrison holding for the field goal |
 |
| Harrison leading a prayer on the sideline when a teammate was injured |
 |
| Matthew intercepting a pass |
 |
| An emotional win against the cross town rival |
Be patient....I'm getting to the point.
As I've mentioned several times on this blog, I would go back if I could. I would love to cheer them on just one more time. There's nothing like the crowd at a football game when you can scream at the top of your lungs, for your son specifically, and not look like a crazy person. I think that we never stop cheering on our kids...we never stop wanting them to succeed. But nowadays, I can't holler "catch it" or "defense" or "come on harrison you got this". It's more like a text "Good luck on your test", or an email "I'm proud of you." Those will have to do.
I think my sfb for today is seeing the real life benefit that all those years on the football field yielded. No, my sons don't play college football. I'm talking BIGGER. They don't quit when something is difficult. They know how to work as a team in either a study group, in a work environment, or in service. They respect leadership. They know that bad things happen to good people. They understand that life isn't always fair. When sons are 17, they don't listen to their mothers. But they learned necessary life lessons on the football field. I'm proud of who they are today. It was worth it...the years in the car, the late family dinners, the sacrificed family vacations. I don't have a Raptor Football Player anymore. I have the memory, and I have sons that are honorable men.
Ok, I can move on now that I've found the Sweet Fringe Benefit of not having a football player anymore.
I'm so excited! We have Fall weather this week! Even though we will be climbing in to the 70's through the week, I'm celebrating by wearing my boots today. I don't profess to be the most hip, up-to-date stylish person. I bought these Vince Camuto boots 2 years ago. I STILL love them. I know there may be more current fashionable boots, with slouch, or ankle high, or pointy-toed. But I don't believe you have to get a new pair of boots every year just to exactly match the current trend. The fashion industry ALWAYS tweaks their styles every year...to get people to spend money. Mix what's already in your closet with something new for the season. Or try wearing a different combination of colors that you already have to create a new fall season look.
The skirt is new, from LOFT. Its a soft, lightweight horizontal knit, with a wide grossgrain waistband. I thought it was fun to add a red t-shirt to the outfit. The caramel-colored boots are highlighted with the bronze-brown multi-strand pearl necklace by Emaack Designs. The jeans jacket is by CAbi several years ago...it's a faded black/grey color. Don't think that because you have a black jacket on you have to wear black boots. You don't have to matchy-match.
Thanks for letting me sort out my feelings on the blog today. I can move on. Phew...
Nanette
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What is the best Sweet Fringe Benefit of your age?