Seasons

The season is changing and along with it comes a new season of football. I've loved to watch football since I was in 5th or 6th grade. I don't know what got me interested in football, other than a boy I liked at the time, because my dad has never been one to sit down and turn on the game. But, I have been a loyal fan since elementary school, and the love for football payed off when 22 years ago this week, I met this tall, handsome football player who lived in the same dorm as I did at college. My new-found friends and I had our boom box outside our dorm, and were just having fun, dancing and laughing, after a long day of freshman orientation and frosh initiation. I was at Whitworth, in a freshman dorm, so it was just good, clean fun. It was about eleven o'clock at night, and my nineteenth birthday was an hour away. Before this, the resident directors had everyone in our dorm meet in the big room between the guys side and the girls side and we talked, got to know each other, and then since it had been a long day, they had us switch off giving each other back rubs. I ended up with this guy as my back rub giver, and all I had seen of him was that he was a football player and that he was standing on a table in the cafeteria acting like a rooster, due to his roommate having to do something for initiation. My first impression was 'wow, that guy is strange. Cute, but strange.' So after the back rubs and getting to know everyone in the dorm was over, a bunch of us just went outside and enjoyed a nice evening, and laughed a lot, before our classes began the next day. The back rubbing, rooster imitating, football player came out, with other guys, and we all were talking. This football player and I started to talk, then went for a walk down the block to Circle K to get a Coke because apparently, the Coke's on campus weren't good enough. We returned to the dorm and sat in the commons area of our dorm until the wee hours of the morning, just talking, and now, a couple days short of 22 years together, I can say we've been walking together in life ever since that nice September night.

Back to football. It was a tough weekend for us Cougar fans, but a good weekend for the Vandals. I share the loyalty of the Palouse in cheering for both teams. When they play each other, I just cheer for both of them. It was also a tough week for the Patriots, with Tom Brady getting hurt so bad in the game on Sunday. I have followed the Patriots ever since Drew Bledsoe went from being a Cougar to being a Patriot. I wasn't real happy when the youngin' took his place, but I continued to follow them as a team and see why that youngin' took his place. I guess he's proven himself after ALL those Superbowl's! As I looked over the game analysis pages, seems there were a lot of injuries on this first week of the NFL, which could make for a long season for some of the teams, and some of the fans.

Ecclesiastes 3 talks about how there is a season for everything. A few that are mentioned include: A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. No matter what season you are going through in life, Jesus is there and wants to help you through it. Allow Him to take your struggles and carry them. He promises us in Matthew 28 that if we believe in Him and follow Him, He is always there. We just have to trust that we can make it through the storm, the change of season. Sometimes the change of season in our life is for good and we need to remember to give praise and thanks to God for that time, just like we ask for help and courage in the hard times. Whatever season in life you may be in right now, rely on God, because He is there.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
Deuteronomy 31:8 (New International Version)