Life, Love, and Basketball

I suppose that, for a good majority of people, it's hard to imagine that these three things are very similar. Life, love, and basketball. For our family, however, they get so intertwined that the line that connects one to the other gets a little blurry. Basketball is a huge part of our family, as it is present 12 months out of the year. I'm sure that it's sick to even half-jokingly refer to basketball as a family member, but it's our reality. And when we win, it's a reality that we love. Like any member of the family, this member is sometimes more needy and demanding than others. The "off-season" is filled with recruiting, planning, scheduling, conditioning, tutoring, worrying, and counseling; but it knows it's place and sits quietly while other family members take the forefront. But October through March is where this family member gets most of it's attention.

Chad and I got married 9 years ago tonight, and I can't help but look back and laugh at the date we chose; if planning a wedding now, we would never have picked a date that was still in the realm of 'the season'! But 9 years ago, Chad was teaching, this was spring break, and the thought of waiting 6 more months until summer break was out-of-the-question. But now, 9 years later, this needy family member called Basketball sits on the ground--throwing a temper-tantrum that could rival any two-year-old's-- until we, again, give it our full attention.

This was the Hawks' season. When Chad took this job, he refused to kick anyone off the team. So now, 4 years later, this was the first team that Chad had recruited from top to bottom. We've been nationally ranked throughout the year, had the highest number of wins in 40 years, and were just 3 games away from making it to the national tournament in Kansas City. Chad wanted to go so badly that I think he could smell the bbq sauce. But today's game ended, and we lost by 3 points. And I know that most people must have thought that I was foolish as I sat in the emptying coliseum crying. But I couldn't help it because this part of our family, the one that demands so much of our attention for such a big part of the year, broke my heart today.

I know that basketball is not life. I know that- I really do. And thank goodness that it's not love; But tonight--as my Love is hurting and sitting at a banquet for a tournament he is no longer a part of, I'm ready for basketball to take a much-needed back seat for awhile-- just what it deserves.