Hello, My Name is Barbara and...

I'll confess it here and now. I didn't watch the Super Bowl! I watched dozens of football games, night after night, weekend after weekend, this fall. I have heard hours and hours of earsplitting cheering. screaming and whistling. I have heard hours and hours of well-dressed former players/coaches describe play by play actions on the field, peppered with anecdotes about the players' lives. I have watched college or professional players smash into each other, get up and do it again, and again, and again. I have watched players injured and interviewed, penalized and praised. I have watched uniforms of every color of the rainbow, except pastels (though the Oregon Ducks have come closer to this than anyone else!).

And now I am home alone with the dog, while everyone else is off at THE party of the winter, while I ice my aching back.

I like the people at the party and people in general. I like dips, mini-hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls and sweet snacks. I like the excitement of being at a place where others are excited. I like the screen that makes the players almost as large as life. I am sorry I missed all this.

But God in His mercy was good to me. Despite missing the atmosphere, the food and the people, despite the pain of my once-again-inflamed back, I DIDN'T HAVE TO WATCH FOOTBALL TONIGHT!

I adore my still-handsome husband. I respect the sport he has lived and breathed since seventh grade.  I want to support him in every way. There's no place I'd rather be on this planet than being with him, taking a walk or eating out. I even enjoy sitting in a room with him, just watching television. But, until next summer, IT WON'T BE FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!