Friday Night Lights

My Cowboy's old high school compadre coaches high school football at a fairly large school a couple hours from us.  He invited us to the game last night and set aside tickets for us to sit in the reserved coaches' section.  We haven't been to a high school football game in years nor had we seen his friend in a long time, so we went.  Our "date night".  So we get there and find our seats.  Up where the birds fly.  After catching our breath from walking up so many steps, I had to get out my glasses so I could see what was going on below me.  My Cowboy and I both agreed that we'd never seen so many bars on our cell phones!  As the players are warming up, we meet several of the coaches' families around us, including the girlfriend of my Cowboy's friend who is sitting next to us.  What a sweet person!  Okay, so it's time to start. The players have on all their gear and are running out on the field.  The band is playing and it floods back memories of my high school days.  I'm lovin' it.  The announcer is great.  He's welcoming everyone and then I'm in shock.  Remember I haven't been to a high school football game in years.  The announcer starts in on explaining how everyone needs to be considerate and respectful of the opposite team, no tobacco products allowed in the stadium or any firearms or weapons (I guess of minor or major destruction).  I mean, this wasn't a quick rendition of Johnny's "Leave Your Guns at Home, Bill" but a long drawn out spill about how to act!  Then....we had a moment of silence.  What?  What happened to prayer?  That was it.  Just silence.  This was heartbreaking for me.  I can only imagine how God must feel when He can't even be acknowledged in our public school system.   When I asked the sweet person next to me why the coaches' families sat so high up, she replied that she used to sit down lower but she was sickened by all the negative comments about the coaches that she decided she would move up to the top away from it all.  Isn't it sad that some folks still love to sit around and speak so badly of others?  I guarantee that if someone is speaking ill of someone, they will be speaking ill of you.  A sharp tongue can cause a lot of damage.
Despite this, the night was awesome.  The parental support of this team was admiring.  The lights, the band, the glitter, the winning team and the camaraderie of friends.  I will have to add this.  My Cowboy's friend, the coach, was always carrying a white towel with him.  I asked his sweet girlfriend sitting next to me.  "I've got to ask, what's the deal with the white towel?"  She replied "just watch".  Throughout the game, when his players came off the field, he would wipe the sweat off their faces.  What a show of compassion!  This guy lives for those boys.  It was quite evident to see that the care and love was reciprocated throughout the game.  That was nice to see!
Vio con Dios,
The Preacher's Wife