365 Days of Team Zybko

Day #244

November 3^rd, 2012

What I LOVE About Football Season!

I really LOVE football season! Not really a lot of LOVE for the actually game itself, beside the victory dances of course. I do understand the rules and have to admit the big man muscles aren’t hard on these old soccer mom eyes. But to use a few hours to watch an entire game on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon is not how I choose to use my time these days. Most football fans I’m sure would poo poo the amount of daylight I dedicate here to digital scrap booking.

 Pah-leeze, what a waste of time, they would huff with a big ole roll of the eyes.

No worries. We all gots our thangs.

 I haven’t always thought this way about hunkering down with a cold beverage and the best of snacks to root for the dudes wearing our team colors. I hold in my teenage heart some truly wonderful football memories from the 80’s. Sunday’s flew by as I’d find my favorite spot in the basement family room to enjoy time with my dad and the SKINS. Not thinking he looked forward to my constant game commentary but let me tell you, that man can put anything on a Ritz cracker and create a mouth watering game time masterpiece. He would sit in his Archer Bunker type velour chair, eyes straight ahead watching intently, even the commercials. The huge T. V. that weighed roughly the same as a baby elephant gave him the professional play by play as I stuffed my mouth full of num nums. First downs, touchdowns and illegal flags would come and go but the dream of being Joe Theisman’s wife stayed steady week to week. Good times were had, wouldn’t trade those moments for the world.

I love you Dad.

Today is different, as I cruised old pictures looking for something specific, I stumbled upon what I DO LOVE about football season. Not the garbage talk back and forth or grown men wearing jersey’s of their favorite players while fetching a 12 pack at the local 7-11. Football season does bring some fun perks, like Diet Dr. Pepper in a bottle decorated as a football, Super Bowl advertisement hype and oval shaped filled donuts do seem to taste better than round ones. That’s not it though. What I really LOVE about football season are the FANS. To be more specific, a fan’s passion is what I love. The dedication to their home town or adoptive team winning at all costs. Especially in an Elementary canned food drive. Now that’s a useful kinda passion. A modern, hunting and gathering that is. They freak out to WIN, raiding cabinets, saving pennies and running to the PIG in the middle of night to beat the opposing team come Monday morning. Maybe to some it remains a motivation for their team’s mascot to hang in the cafeteria for a month or so. I don’t really know all that. I do know, in the end it’s the needy that win. Food given to those who are hungry, handed out with love. I like that score. Yes, this is what I LOVE about football season. Fans torqued up and competitive for a good cause, not just lit up numbers on a scoreboard.

I found these pictures from last November I never blogged about (no rolling of the eyes foot ball enthusiasts). 

A year ago I received a call from a nice lady from Mclaurin Elementary School around lunchtime. She had gotten my number from her dog’s veterinarian, sister’s, brother’s, girlfriend’s mom. Something like that, anyway, she was pretty confident I’d be willing to help her out. A big smile spread across my face as I listened happily and did some math as fast as this aerobics instructor could do without using a pencil.

Yes M’aam….uh huh….I can help….WOW!

Clemson fans brought in how many?

USC fans brought in how many?

Amazing what your school did. Yes, yes we can get them all passed out. No M’aam I don’t have a truck but no problem I have a prison van. Ahem, whoops, I mean a 15 passenger van. Thank you so much. Mmmm Hmmm…..we will be there in as soon as we can.

I push the touch screen of my phone to end the call and sit for just a minute to regroup. Geesh! I gotta tell you Lord, you really blew the socks off this can drive. My mind was doing happy, youthful cartwheels, fast forwarding to the next morning. My heart excited and joyful for the opportunity to pass on God’s love through a simple can of creamed corn. From one hand, to another hand, and another hand and so on. To the now familiar faces  with a different story of need than mine, at the Parking Lot Mission downtown.  I sat for only a minute more, no time to day dream, we had work to do. I called a friend who loaned me her truck just in case we needed extra space. After all, the prison van has never had to haul 1,600 cans before.

Yes, 1,600 cans.

Thank you God for showing up big time!