Hail Mary

Football reminding me to blog ... tsk, tsk. In actuality ... i was reminded about blogging both from my niece, who is a much more faithful blogger than I, and by one of my friends who actually took the time to note which dates and which subjects she enjoyed the most! (Thank you, Barb!) 

Still ... it was the broad smile on my face as I was listening to college football on Sirius this morning ... that prompted me to write again. To write about the joy of a Hail Mary ... in football. (Likely also in religion but since I'm not Catholic, I cannot comment on that!)

Our weekend was full ... full of friends, laughter, and football. We were worried about the football part after the Minnesota debacle. Still ... one cannot be a true member of Husker Nation if Hope isn't your middle name. So off we went ... after a leisurely morning with our Coloradan friends Bud & Fran, who stayed with us ... and a Roberto-inspired breakfast. First stop ... Barrymore's ... where the Bloody Mary's are the traditional pre-game drink of choice. 

To say that the game was uneven was an understatement. But ... by the closing 2 minutes, all Hope was finally and completely exhausted. Many many fans exited the game ... but Rob, who has this unusual streak of optimism when it comes to Nebraska football, said, "It's not over yet ... wait!!" In the meantime, I'm gathering up our blankets and waiting with one foot in the aisle ...when, with 4 seconds left in the game, RK3 (the 3rd string quarterback) threw a 49-yard pass that was miraculously caught in the end zone ... snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. 

It is the aftermath that I write about now ... the jubilation, the exhilaration, the excitement  ... the pure joy that filled the hearts of the remaining fans (90,000 plus originally). I wasn't at the 1997 Missouri game ... an even more unlikely catch that saved not just a season but a national championship. But that game was in Missouri. This was in "our house" ... where simultaneously, ALL of the fans let out their collective  breaths and began their victory whoops. Truly one of the most uplifting moments in Nebraska football history. 

And that jubilation was still with me this morning as I drove to work ... to start my 7th-to-last-week at EducationQuest. And from the newspaper articles and the online bloggers, the exhilaration is nearly statewide and making a Monday into a celebratory day! 

That's right ... 7 weeks left in the office. We talked about my work a lot this weekend ... our friends, like Rob, are a little skeptical that I will settle into retirement as I know I will. But now that it's down to the "near-end" ... each day does seem like a new adventure and I know that I will end my tenure at EducationQuest with the same enthusiasm that I began it ... committed to the mission of getting  more students to college ... especially those students who didn't think that they stood a chance. 

So in the honor of the need to never give up ... I leave you with a YouTube clip of James Taylor and Tony Bennett singing an "unabashedly confident song" ... and also a famous quotation by Winston Churchill:  Never, never, never give up! 

PS ... And I will also provide my litany of reasons why I've fallen down as a blogger. Transitioning out of work ... celebrating football and friendship and family ... all have led to my placing the blog at a lesser level. I think you might all agree, with the possible exception of football, that I have my priorities straight!