I must have been sleeping at the wheel all these years because Football started last week and when I think of Football I think of Thanksgiving. I wasn’t expecting games this soon. But I was wrong FOOTBALL is back.

I know because everybody keeps talking about it. But I’ll be honest with you: I‘ve had the TV on but no, where were there has been football. Have you watched it?

If you asked me I couldn’t tell you who won the Cowboys’ first game if you paid me. David probably could. Charlie could probably Google it in about thirty seconds.

Me? I don’t care. And before all you Cowboys fans get mad at me, let me explain. I Remember the REAL Cowboys When I was a Cowboys fan, I was a real Cowboys fan.

Well… at least I thought I was. But the Cowboys I remember aren’t the Cowboys we have today. When I think about the Dallas Cowboys, I think about Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.

Yes, Emmitt Smith. How in the world could I forget Emmitt Smith? Especially since David has a boss named Stanley who reminds me of Emmitt Smith in more ways than one!

And then there was Tom Landry. as far as I’m concerned he is the only and only Coach the Cowboys ever needed. Is there a Coach your team has had that makes you feel like that?

Now THAT was a Football team and true Cowboy’s. Tom Landry had the hat. He had the suit. He had the look. Those Cowboys looked like Cowboys. The current Cowboys?

Well, they don’t have guns and cowboy hats. And they don’t have Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith or Tom Landry. So why would I even want to watch them?

I’m just saying. Football Used to Be a Family Affair David has always followed the Cowboys off and on. I wouldn’t call him a diehard Cowboys fan, though. Would you?

When I first got together with David, his parents were Cowboys fans. They would have dinners and make chili and watch football, and his brother Mike and his wife Lynn would come over.

Sometimes we got invited. Sometimes we didn’t. And you know what? That was fine with me. Because I didn’t particularly want to sit there all afternoon listening to everybody watch football anyway.

But then there were times when we would be at my nephew’s house with David, Granny Peggy and Uncle Roger. And THAT was entertaining. Sometimes watching them react to the Cowboys was more fun than watching the actual football game.

I’m telling you, some of those reactions were better than the Jerry Springer Show. I’d be sitting there laughing out loud while everybody was fussing about something the Cowboys had done.

And now I think about those days differently. Because Granny Peggy is gone. Uncle Roger is gone. Dad is gone. There’s only Rodney Senior now, and I don’t see him very often.

And suddenly those old football afternoons aren’t just memories about football. They’re memories about people. People sitting around a house. People eating chili.

People hollering at the television. People laughing. People getting mad at the Cowboys. People who aren’t here anymore. And I miss those days. Not the football but the people, the food and the laughs.

Charlie doesn’t really have a football team. He’s not much of a Cowboys fan. And that’s okay. Charlie didn’t want to go to college either, and that’s okay too. College isn’t right for everyone.

But if Suzanne were here? Well, I’d probably be an OU Sooners fan because Suzanne was going to go to OU. So I guess that settles it. I’m an OU Sooner to the day I die. That’s my team. Because sometimes your team isn’t really about football. Sometimes it’s about somebody you love.

I know football means different things to different people. For some people, it’s about statistics and players and fantasy football. For some, it’s about tailgating. For others, it’s a family tradition.

And sometimes it’s about remembering people who used to sit beside you on the couch. For me, football takes me back to those Cowboys. Tom Landry. Troy Aikman. Michael Irvin. Emmitt Smith.

And all those family afternoons when the Cowboys could do something absolutely ridiculous and everybody in the room would lose their minds. Including my nephew David.

Those were the days. And I miss them. Now I’ll probably just watch Tom Brady on 80 for Brady and call it good. Because apparently that’s about as much football as I need these days.

But I want to hear from you. Who’s your team—and why? Is it the team you’ve always loved? A team your parents taught you to love? A college team? A team connected to someone special?

Or maybe, like Charlie, you just don’t have one. Come tell me your story. Because around here, football isn’t always about football. Sometimes it’s about the people sitting beside you when the game is on. And sometimes those are the memories you miss the most.

A Little Football Memory Challenge

Think back to your favorite football memories. Who was sitting beside you? What were you eating? Who was yelling at the television? What team were you cheering for?

And most importantly… Who do you wish could be sitting beside you watching the game today? Tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear your story.

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

GreatfulMomments.com

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates