The Big Game

So, the Big Game is over. the Packers have won and football has moved off TV center stage to be replaced by basketball, baseball, racing or extreme sports. What did we learn from all the excitement? That the Black Eyed Peas version of Love cries out for social justice when the lyrics are understandable and vile when you need screen captions for them to make any sense. That a number 6 can become a number 1 if the circumstances are right.That there must be something wrong with the Packers' conditioning program if so many of its starters wind up injured and unable to play. And that holding onto the past doesn't make sense when the future is on your doorstep.

It's not hyperbole to say that the world stopped for a few hours on Sunday to watch the Big Game. This time, the Super Bowl offered an exciting gridiron battle, which has not always been the case. In the end, though, the competition was... a game. It was hard fought, but, it was...entertainment.

The kind of battles that are far more difficult to win are the ones that we see all around us, but which don't receive much hype. These are the personal ones that require herculean effort to win. These are the ones that I wish would get more attention and admiration. Those who conquer inner and outer obstacles are the ones who give us a glimpse of what the human will - and divine grace - can accomplish.

Former Notre Dame swimmer Haley Scott (now DeMaria), for instance, was returning from a meet when the team bus she was in overturned on an icy road. Haley was pinned underneath and paralyzed. Advised that she would never walk again, she fought the diagnosis and wound up not only walking, but resuming a completely active life. In her case, a movie is being made of the journey. It is called Two Miles From Home, but it has been a long time in coming. There wasn't that much interest in a story that had no sex and no car chases.

My friend, TR, is another story, but you won't find his name in lights. It should be. TR was a Navy SEAL who lost his leg, but returned to duty as a SEAL and now runs a company that provides maritime security. Most of the time, you'll find TR in his khaki shorts, prosthetic leg clearly visible, doing whatever is necessary and paying his "disability" no mind. He visits military who are in the hospital to give them some encouragement and a look at what is possible in spite of what appears to be a life altering handicap.

The emotional traumas are just as difficult, just not as obvious. Major depression, the death of a spouse when there are small children involved, loss of a job with  a family to support - everyone knows stories of people who have risen above life's challenges and managed to be an inspiration that gives us hope.

These are ones that I wish were wearing the equivalent of Super Bowl rings today. Life is hard and when someone copes and copes well, they deserve a loud cheer from the rest of us: Hooray!!!!!!!!