Grandma was a staple at her grand kids school, sporting & club events and took a special attention in their hobbies, loves and interests. There was a good chance that she didnt share the same love, passion or even knowledge for the things that we held in such revere.
I wanted to bring up this special memory that really attests to her character, her love for family, and her love for LEARNING.
I think one thing that we all can do better at is having a thirst for knowledge and a desire for a better understanding like grandma did ( Unless it had to do with IU – then she didnt care to know any more – LOL ) .
As I progressed my way up the football ranks, Grandma usually timed her NC visits around my football games. I look back and selfishly remember thinking how cool it was that grandma loved football and came to so many games to watch me.
While in fact, she didnt love football and barely understood the rules of the game. She knew how important it was to ME, thus, why it was so important to her. Football could have been replaced with Tennis, Chess, debate, chorus, ect… The activity itself wasn’t important, it was her supporting my choice to be passionate and try to be the best at something.
I think about this often as parent of a 3 and 1 year old bc my future will be to back and support my kids in WHATEVER they find passion in. Most of us are blessed to be able to say that we received the same support from our parents as well, but its just different when it comes from a grandparent.
So with all that said, big shocker, this whole story goes back to a book. One written by John Madden ( Hall of Fame NFL football coach) in 1987 entitled, ” 1 knee equals two feet”. In 2001 when I was senior in high school I knew of Mr. Madden only bc of his video game, not so much his coaching career and 100% not bc of a book written over a decade ago.
In 2001, Grandma was reading a book about “everything you need to know about football” written in 87 so that when she came to watch my games, she would hopefully understand what she was cheering and booing for. She was so proud to be able to “talk football” with me bc at that age in my life, that was so important to ME.
Looking back, im sure I joked with her about reading a book in the stands, but what a true pioneer of love. She championed and was an ambassador for the others before self mentality that is lacking in our current cruel world.
For those of you who dont know what the title of the book means, I wanted to share this as my final thought, because Grandma sure did : ) When completing a “catch” in a football game, the receiver of the pass must show complete possession of the ball before exiting the field of play or being tackled. While being forced out of bounds, to complete the catch, the receiver must have possession of the ball in his hand(s) and put down both of their feet in the field of play OR one knee must touch the ground.
So when I caught a pass, Grandma was always looking for 1 knee or 2 feet so that she could cheer. I never told her that rule didnt apply to college or high school, bc it meant the world to be able to look up in the stands and see her cheering : )
I was blessed to share 38 years with Grandma and feel a lot of comfort knowing she is still cheering me on, however, she just sitting in God’s Stands now 😉
I cant wait to share her memories and keep her legacy alive with my Children & Grand Children. I hope you will all do the same.
God Bless,
Stephen