Patriots Game in Gillette Stadium

Posted by Marci on Dec 2, 2010 in | 2 comments

I’m an avid football fan. When the Patriot’s play, a whole new side of my personality explodes. I throw pillows, jump out of my chair, and expletives slip through my lips.

Until nine years ago, I didn’t know I liked the sport. In school I was a cheerleader who didn’t know what the cheer, “first and ten do it again” meant. I dated the captain of the football team who spent every Monday morning re-living the game as I pretended to listen.

Then I went to a professional game in the old Foxboro Stadium, and watched Tom Brady play his first game as quarterback. The team was down by two touchdowns and a field goal with only a quarter left to go. The fans left and everyone had given up except for him. He refused to quit, running in touchdowns and playing with everything he had. The Patriot’s came back to tie the Chargers in regular time and won in overtime. I became a jersey-wearing fan who felt my prayers could change the outcome of the game.

Since moving from Boston to California, seeing a game in the new stadium had become impossible. Tickets are sold out months in advance and I don’t always know when I’ll be able to travel home.

As with many of my dreams, this one came to me in an unusual way. My mother had a vision of a convenience store and a Patriot’s lottery ticket. She went in, bought the ticket, and won. The only problem was that the date of the game would be determined by the lottery, and I wasn’t certain I could find a flight home.

The universe was on my side. The game’s date happened to be two days after Christmas, when I would be home for the holiday. I thought that I couldn’t be luckier, but even more greatness came my way. It can be brutally cold in December. The stadium is uncovered and the wind-chill can reach the negative numbers. As I entered the stadium the rain ended and the sun broke through the clouds. I stripped off my winter coat as I cheered on my team.

The Patriot’s won that game by thirty points. I watched our wide receiver joke with the fans and the defense dance during time out. I wondered at how this could be happening. I asked to see a game and without my doing anything it came true.

That first game nine years ago, I saw Tom Brady believe he could win. Against the odds a sixth-round draft pick who only played because the regular quarterback was injured, took the first step towards making his dream come true of becoming a Super Bowl MVP.

Many times we feel that life is against us. In truth, the guts to ask for what we want and the determination to never quit turns life into a magical hope chest.