Don't Give up the Ship

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and over the past week, I have been thinking about the life lessons that the sport of football has taught me. This year, the lesson has been don’t give up the ship!

We were in the midst of watching the Ravens play the Denver Broncos in the AFC playoff game. It wasn’t looking good for the Ravens. I called my son who was watching the game with his friends in Virginia. “Don’t give up yet, Mom,” he told me and he added how the Ravens really wanted to win and who knew what they might be able to pull off.

I hung up the phone hopeful, but realistic. It just wasn’t looking good for our team. Then with less than a minute left in regulation time, it was touchdown Ravens and the score was tied! We were headed into over time!

For the next ten to fifteen minutes, I didn’t breath very well. It was just too close! Then in the second overtime period, the Ravens came within field goal range. Could it be possible? Could they win it?

The Ravens and their team leader, Ray Lewis, were considered underdogs in each playoff came they entered. But they never gave up the ship. The signs in Boston that were counting down to Ray’s retirement are still counting down. The Baltimore home team never lost its drive.

The Ravens’ lesson is a lesson for all of us. Things might not be going our way, but if we get in there and give it all we’ve got, we, too, might be heading for that Super Bowl game and putting off our own retirements!

A few months ago, a student of mine approached me with a problem that she had been dealing with at home. She was feeling quite depressed. We talked over many lunch shifts and she began to develop a plan to change the situation. She set a goal and began to work diligently towards achieving that goal. Recently, she popped into my classroom with a big grin on her face. Things were beginning to go her way, and she was feeling much more confident and capable. She hadn’t given up the ship!

Sports are just games, but they’re games that are a part of our lives, whether we play or watch from the sidelines. One of the lessons that the players demonstrate for us on a regular basis is to persevere; to keep on trying even when the odds are against you. It’s a lesson we can live with. I know I have a few goals that I don’t plan on giving up on, how about you?

Playing the game with Class

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and over the past week, I have been thinking about the life lessons that the sport of football has taught me. This year, the lesson has been has been learned from watching Robert Griffin III play for the Redskins.

It’s not often that a young professional athlete plays as if he’s totally in control of things; an athlete with poise and a certain elegance. RGIII certainly was that in his first season. He was friendly and respectful. He knew how to play the game and he also knew when the blame was his to take.

On television and in advertising we are bombarded with images of professional athletes selling us products and telling us how to make the most of our lives. Our kids soon learn to look up to these athletes and try their best to emulate them. Sometimes, however, the athlete doesn’t live up to societal expectations. It’s a lot of pressure, and some just cannot handle it, but RGIII seems to be on the right track.

When my son was in elementary school, he thought Troy Aikman was the greatest player. We watched every Cowboys game just to watch my son’s quarterback hero play each game of the season. Timmy wore a Troy Aikman jersey and listened to him speak every time he appeared on a sports program.

One day he told me that he was going to write a letter to Troy and tell him what a great player he was. We wrote the letter, posted it, and sent it on its way. I didn’t think we would every hear anything from it, but much to my surprise a few weeks later a return letter arrived with a glossy photo of Mr. Aikman.

We framed the picture and saved the letter, and that little boy of mine lit up like a star whenever he told people about his letter to Troy Aikman.

Athletes who play the game with class are truly the professional athletes. They make a difference not only in the sports they play, but to the fans who adore them. It is a burden that they carry. Many athletes are not role models who play with class, but for those who do, they enhance the game.

RGIII is looking to be one of those players, and I am certain that he will influence many young people. I know I’m a fan, and I pull for the Ravens!

Miracle on 34th Street

We’ve had a new baby in our lives this past year, my beautiful granddaughter, Chloe, and I have noticed how her presence has managed to bring out the child in all of us.

For Christmas, we planned a trip to New York City and a stop at Macy’s so that Chloe could see “the real Santa.” My family gathered around the television every year to watch “Miracle on 34th Street,” so we know assuredly that the real guy is at Macy’s Herald Square.

We arrived on 34th street early one Friday afternoon and headed directly to the store's elevator and the 8th floor. On the way up, we shared stories of visits in years past. We giggled in anticipation of seeing the Christmas village decorations and, of course, the jolly old elf himself.

Mrs. Claus was waving to the patient visitors as we took our places in line. We chatted with her and asked her about her cookie baking. Then we were treated to a visit from Virginia of Macy’s story “Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus.” We all waved to Virginia and greeted her with a chorus of hellos. Finally, we boarded a train that rocked and chugged before delivering us to Santaland.

The wait was a quick forty-five minutes that was spent wandering through a Christmas wonderland. We oo-ed and ah-ed when we saw the miniature railroad with its train running up and down several levels. We sang along with the robotic snowmen carolers and danced to the music of the Nutcracker Suite with the dancing bears.

Santa’s helpers pointed us down the winding trail and ultimately to Santa’s workshop. Seated in the center of one room of the workshop was the main guy himself. As we turned the corner, all of the adults chimed in with “Hi, Santa!” Chloe seemed rather impressed with his garb and she was very interested in his beard. We chatted about Christmas and how busy the elves and the Clauses had been. Pictures were snapped and the room was filled with laughter.

We left Santaland giggling and singing. All of the kids, big and small, were grinning as we descended in the elevator on our way to see the decorated windows. There were more oos and ahs as we strolled past each window. The lights of the city had begun to flicker on. This trip to New York during the holidays was different. We were seeing things through Chloe’s eyes and enjoying once again the wonders of the city at Christmas.

I plan this year to continue to look at life through a child’s eyes; to find pleasure in the simplest of things, and to laugh. I invite you to do the same. Happy New Year!

White Christmas

We’ve had a new baby in our lives this past year, my beautiful granddaughter, Chloe, and I have noticed how her presence has managed to bring out the child in all of us.

Christmas Eve brought snow and a white Christmas to our home. Throughout the day we peered through the windows to assess snow accumulation and to see if the predicted changeover to rain would occur. With a winter wonderland surrounding us ,we all bundled up after dinner and ventured out in the white stuff. My husband found an old snow saucer out in the garage and attached a long rope to it. Miss Chloe was placed in her transport and we all ran following her as my husband towed her across the snow. Adult laughter rang out with the baby giggles. Even the dogs were running around behind the laughing humans.

Then my daughter decided it was time to make some snow angels. She grabbed Chloe off the snow saucer and showed her the art of creating snow angels. The girls rolled around in the snow while the boys decided to build some snowmen. My son and his dog opted to just run circles in the white fluff. And above all of this chaos, the laughter continued to ring.

Soon the girls joined in the snowman construction and my husband hurried into the house to gather carrots and other accessories for our newly built friends. By the time snow friend number one was completed, Miss Chloe’s little nose was red and cold, so the grandparents decided it was time to head into the house for some hot chocolate. It was about then that my almost thirty-year-old daughter said, “Mommy, we want to stay outside and finish our snowman.” Flashback! My adult daughter was my little girl once again. And the grin on my face was huge!

Hubby and I scooped up our new little bundle of joy and scurried into the house. I put a big pot on the stove for the hot chocolate and husband put a log in the fireplace to start a warm glow. With Miss Chloe in her slippers and toddling around the living room, we waited for our big babies to come inside.

That night, we all sat around the fireplace and laughed and joked about snow days, snowball battles, and winter. We were all young again. We had seen the winter weather’s miracle through a child’s eyes and it was a blast!

I plan this year to continue to look at life through a child’s eyes; to find pleasure in the simplest of things, and to laugh. I invite you to do the same. Happy New Year!

Where A Kid Can Be A Kid

We’ve had a new baby in our lives this past year, my beautiful granddaughter, Chloe, and I have noticed how her presence has managed to bring out the child in all of us.

With the family at home for the holidays, we planned a first birthday celebration for Chloe at Chuck E. Cheese, “where a kid can be a kid.” When I mentioned the party to my twenty-six year old son, he groaned “Really, mother. Do we have to?,” I knew that I had my work cut out for me.

But the work was not so difficult. We arrived at this fine dining establishment to be greeted by a cheerfully decorated table, complete with balloons and party accessories. What caught the eye of all of the big kids were the cups of tokens at each place setting. My son was the first to ask if he could take just a few and play some games. Soon the table was empty of guests. All of my adult babies had headed off to the skee ball lanes and the football toss.

My husband had scooped up Miss Chloe and had taken her off to ride some of the rides. Since I was all alone at the table, I grabbed a few tokens and headed off myself! Some time later, we all re-grouped at the table to gaze at the pile of prize tickets we had won. Of course, the boys were comparing whose pile was the biggest!

After munching on some pizza, we were visited by Mr. Cheese himself. Chloe was the most mesmerized by this special visit, but the adults enjoyed it just the same. We sang and danced, and clapped and laughed. We feasted on Sesame Street cupcakes and fruit punch before heading back to use the remaining tokens.

The party ended with the gift opening and some more singing and laughing. We gathered up all of the goods and headed out towards the exit, stopping only at the counter to exchange the pile of tickets for some Chloe toys. I hugged my little granddaughter and told her that I was very sorry that I could not celebrate with her in the Netherlands on her actual party. My son-in-law turned to me and said, “Oh, but this celebration was so much more fun!”

And then we left Chuck E. Cheese’s smiling and laughing, reliving a child’s birthday party and having a blast. There was a little kid in each one of us that afternoon…it is a place were even adults can be a kid.

I plan this year to continue to look at life through a child’s eyes; to find pleasure in the simplest of things, and to laugh. I invite you to do the same. Happy New Year!

I touch the Future

As we enter the month of Thanksgiving, I have been reflecting on events that have changed the course of my life. I was recently listening to the song “This by Darius Rucker. He sings about “every stoplight I didn't make, every chance I did or I didn't take,” all those things that could have happened but didn’t led him to where he is today. And he wouldn’t change a thing. That’s how I’ve been feeling.

When our daughter was born, my husband and I decided that I would stay at home with her so that one of us would be with her all of the time. So I began my life as a stay-at-home mom. I continued my stay-at-home duties when my son was born, and fell in love with my job as the teacher and care provider for my two young children. When they started “real” school, I followed them and became a classroom volunteer. I planned class parties, copied papers for teachers, put up bulletin boards, and sat in the cafeteria with my own children once a week for lunch. But just as I had vowed when I was in college I continued my belief that there was no way that I would ever become a teacher!

I shared school with my children at school and at home. When we sat at the table to do homework, we would talk about the other students in their classes and their teachers. It was great fun! I also volunteered with the Parent/Teacher association. I helped with fundraisers and organized events at the school. I enjoyed working with the teachers at my children’s school, but I knew that I would never become a teacher. I had vowed it would never happen.

But when my son entered middle school, he refused to allow me to be a parent volunteer. He said it wasn’t “cool.” So I began plotting. I know how he loved sports, so I told him that if he let me apply to be a substitute teacher at the middle school that I would buy Oriole season tickets with the money I made. He agreed and his agreeing changed my life.

About a year after I began substitute teaching, I received a telephone call from the foreign language curriculum specialist. She needed a long-term Spanish substitute and since I had a minor in Spanish, she wanted to know if I was interested. I discussed it with my husband and both children and we agreed to give it a try.

I fell in love with teaching! I woke up excited about going to work, and lay awake in bed at night trying to figure out new teaching strategies to help my students. I was playing school again, but this time the students were not my own children. That was in the spring of 1999 and I have been teaching ever since. I have grown professionally and as a human being. Being part of the lives of my students has given me a new outlook, and I do indeed touch the future.

Our mothers are our first teachers, and my children taught me that!

They Say That Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

As we enter the month of Thanksgiving, I have been reflecting on events that have changed the course of my life. I was recently listening to the song “This by Darius Rucker. He sings about “every stoplight I didn't make, every chance I did or I didn't take,” all those things that could have happened but didn’t led him to where he is today. And he wouldn’t change a thing. That’s how I’ve been feeling.

When I was a senior in high school, I met a college student named Mike. We dated my entire senior year and he was my date to the prom. He even came to Ocean City when my friends and I were there for senior week. I spent every weekend with Mike and most evenings with him on the phone.

In college, Mike and I talked about getting married. We dreamed about how we would spend the rest of our lives together. I was so happy. Our relationship continued into my sophomore year of college. During Christmas break that year, Mike became somewhat distant. I knew that something was wrong but I just could not put my finger on it. I worried about what was going on but tried to keep my chin up.

Finally in February, the bomb dropped. Mike called to tell me that he wanted to break up. I thought it was the end of my world. How would I survive without him? I cried and cried, and when I thought I was all cried out, I cried some more. I stopped eating. I didn’t want to be with my friends. I just wanted to be comforted by my misery.

Whenever the phone rang, I would jump. Maybe he was calling to say that he missed me, that he wanted to get back together. But the phone calls were never for me. I started to lose weight and my grades began to drop. In short, I was no fun! But fortunately, I had some really good friends.

One of those friends was Rose. She called me one weekend and said “Let’s go out! We should head down to Annapolis and check out the midshipmen!” Reluctantly, I agreed. Little did I know that that night would forever change my life.

We were walking through Dalghren Hall when a nice young man passed us. As we exited the building, that same young man was there holding the door for us. The three of us walked, and chatted, and laughed. When I got home very late that night, I woke my mother to tell her that I had met the man I was going to marry. That was thirty-two years ago, and I look forward to celebrating thirty-one years of marriage with that nice young man!

And I will be forever thankful that Mike broke up with me!

The photo above is of that handsome midshipman on our first "official" date. This blogpost appeared in my column, "The Empty Nest," in the Frederick News Post on November 3, 2012.