Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Magnolia Bowl

This Sunday I woke up early on this side of the world to watch my favorite football team play one of our most heated rivals. Even missed church. When I attended Ole Miss, the game against LSU was not titled, but now it's called the Magnolia Bowl. "Back in the day" it was always played Halloween weekend. But years go by and times change.

But the essence of a crazy game, apparently, never does. I remember us winning the last few minutes....or losing in the last minutes. Maybe instead of calling it the Magnolia Bowl is should have been called "Crazy Bowl" or "It's Not Over Until it's Really Over." It never seems to matter what the polls say - or bookies - and it's a toss up. I don't think I can say how happy I am that today the toss-up ended up in our favorite. As in many times in the past, the winner wasn't obvious until the last second...or in the case of today the few seconds after the time clock stopped.

Who would have ever thought LSU couldn't get a kicking team on the field fast enough?

What ever reason, I'll take the win.

In the last few seconds of the game I was on the phone with my mother -both of us yelling. I'm sure if my kids ever thought I was crazy, any doubt they have is now gone.

I've posted before of growing up Ole Miss. At still, Autumn is the season I miss home the most. I still wish I could give my kids the opportunity to experience an Ole Miss game in person - not just their crazy mother yelling at a TV. (Yes, Drew is usually there watching the game as well...he's just not a vocal as I am.) I wish they could fall in love with the game, the campus...the atmosphere as I did.

But I don't miss the heated rivalries turning ugly...where heated words turns to hatred. Fun-loving teasing turns into dead-serious verbal and at times physical attacks. That....I'm glad they don't know anything about.

And yet at the same time, I'm glad they are growing up military. Sacrifice for something bigger than you are and giving all your is still very much alive. Drew is so close to retirement we can taste it on some days, but we both know there'll be times when we'll miss this life.

We are planning a trip to that small beloved Mississippi town the next fall we are living in the States. Let's just make sure it's a game that Ole Miss will win....without giving every fan in attendance and watching TV a heart attack.

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Leaping For Joy

Leaping For Joy