Sunday, December 11, 2005
Loss in perspective
Well, today the Broncos will spring back from our disappointing loss to the Chiefs last week. They will beat the Ravens at Mile High.
My family suffered a bigger, and more relevant loss last Sunday. As the clock ticked the final seconds of the game last Sunday, my phone rang. It was my mom. My grandmother had just died. She was 92 years old, and hadn't been sick or anything. She simply collapsed on Sunday while watching, yes - the Broncos / Chiefs game.
So I don't have a lot to say about losing to the Chiefs. It was disappointing. 'Nuff said.
My grandma, or Gramma - as we called her, was a wonderful woman. I am always proud to hold her example to my own life. She was diverse and interesting, strong and independent. She was progressive and never stopped investigating her ideas and how they related to the larger world. She was a proponent and supporter of education and learning. And sure, she was a football fan. My mom says she had to learn to love football, because my grandpa was such a huge fan. And this is simplistic, because of course she was so much more than a football fan, but she set the standard for the female football fans in our family. Don't just watch the game - understand it. My mom was brought up in a house where football was a weekly event. She married my dad and raised my sisters and I in a house where football was a weekly event. And here I am today, planning another Sunday around the games that we'll watch today. Being a football fanatic is just a small example of the characteristics that have been handed down to me from my grandparents. I know that in the whole scheme of things, football is pretty insignificant - but this is a football blog, so I'm just focusing on that here. I guess I'm just saying that it is my greatest hope that I carry on many of her other qualities, as well.
My daughter just came up to me and asked what I am writing about. I told her, "I'm writing about Gramma Taylor, and about football." My daughter looked at me and nodded. She gets it. And that makes me happy.
My family suffered a bigger, and more relevant loss last Sunday. As the clock ticked the final seconds of the game last Sunday, my phone rang. It was my mom. My grandmother had just died. She was 92 years old, and hadn't been sick or anything. She simply collapsed on Sunday while watching, yes - the Broncos / Chiefs game.
So I don't have a lot to say about losing to the Chiefs. It was disappointing. 'Nuff said.
My grandma, or Gramma - as we called her, was a wonderful woman. I am always proud to hold her example to my own life. She was diverse and interesting, strong and independent. She was progressive and never stopped investigating her ideas and how they related to the larger world. She was a proponent and supporter of education and learning. And sure, she was a football fan. My mom says she had to learn to love football, because my grandpa was such a huge fan. And this is simplistic, because of course she was so much more than a football fan, but she set the standard for the female football fans in our family. Don't just watch the game - understand it. My mom was brought up in a house where football was a weekly event. She married my dad and raised my sisters and I in a house where football was a weekly event. And here I am today, planning another Sunday around the games that we'll watch today. Being a football fanatic is just a small example of the characteristics that have been handed down to me from my grandparents. I know that in the whole scheme of things, football is pretty insignificant - but this is a football blog, so I'm just focusing on that here. I guess I'm just saying that it is my greatest hope that I carry on many of her other qualities, as well.
My daughter just came up to me and asked what I am writing about. I told her, "I'm writing about Gramma Taylor, and about football." My daughter looked at me and nodded. She gets it. And that makes me happy.
