October 31, 2015 - The men's Rugby World Cup Final. I'd only be living with my gf (now wife) for about 6 months and she was still nowhere near getting rugby. But I loved it, and she loves me, so she was trying.
We had just got done watching New Zealand beat Australia for their second straight title. I went to our bedroom and found my phone which had a dozen missed calls, and I knew what they were. I called Mom. Papaw had been sick for a a few years now, and in the hospital the last week.
As I stood there listening to mom, my wife gave me that questioning look. I just nodded, and she went straight to our room and started throwing clothes in a bag. I got off the phone with Mom and called my brother. Him and his wife were grabbing the van at Mom's house, grabbing my sister and then-BIL.
We met them at my wife's sister's house, which was thankfully a convenient meeting place where the two sets of kids' paths would converge. We ditched our car with my SiL and the six of us drove on through the middle of the night from Iowa to southern Indiana.
We got to the hospital about 1AM. Mom and Dad had thankfully already been there to help Mamaw around the house that week. My uncle (Dad's Brother) and aunt had similarly hauled ass over from Virginia in the evening.
Somewhere around 4AM Papaw passed.
To some people watching old matches might sound weird, but some of them are great. 2009 Ireland-Wales I spent with my teammates in a tiny flat near St. James's hospital huddled around a tiny screen while O'Gara's drop goal cleared the bar while Stephen Jones's penalty didn't. 2015 Japan at the horn to upset South Africa is another. I have a folder on my media server of about a dozen old matches of the ones that still excite me, sometimes 15 years later.
But that match is one I will never, ever be able to watch again.
Just as you can't watch that game again, I can't bring myself to go to that bar either. It did nothing wrong, but I can't untangle the memories from the place.
Wow. I have now adequate words. But I send my condolences and pray for peace and comfort and the warmth of good memories of your paw paw wrap you up this football season and seasons to come.
Thank you, Timothy. I’m blessed to have so many reminders of him through football. I get to think of him every time I hear the Auburn fight song, which was his ringtone for as long as I can remember, and every time Ole Miss gets a first down, because he loved to say “First down! Ooooooooole Miss!” just like the stadium announcer does.
Love how easy it is talk college football in the South, and the woman in the University of Phoenix shirt must have heard that question often. Harsin should coach there.
Wow, one of the best written pieces on how sports intersect with life. So sorry for your loss
Thank you so much, Austin.
October 31, 2015 - The men's Rugby World Cup Final. I'd only be living with my gf (now wife) for about 6 months and she was still nowhere near getting rugby. But I loved it, and she loves me, so she was trying.
We had just got done watching New Zealand beat Australia for their second straight title. I went to our bedroom and found my phone which had a dozen missed calls, and I knew what they were. I called Mom. Papaw had been sick for a a few years now, and in the hospital the last week.
As I stood there listening to mom, my wife gave me that questioning look. I just nodded, and she went straight to our room and started throwing clothes in a bag. I got off the phone with Mom and called my brother. Him and his wife were grabbing the van at Mom's house, grabbing my sister and then-BIL.
We met them at my wife's sister's house, which was thankfully a convenient meeting place where the two sets of kids' paths would converge. We ditched our car with my SiL and the six of us drove on through the middle of the night from Iowa to southern Indiana.
We got to the hospital about 1AM. Mom and Dad had thankfully already been there to help Mamaw around the house that week. My uncle (Dad's Brother) and aunt had similarly hauled ass over from Virginia in the evening.
Somewhere around 4AM Papaw passed.
To some people watching old matches might sound weird, but some of them are great. 2009 Ireland-Wales I spent with my teammates in a tiny flat near St. James's hospital huddled around a tiny screen while O'Gara's drop goal cleared the bar while Stephen Jones's penalty didn't. 2015 Japan at the horn to upset South Africa is another. I have a folder on my media server of about a dozen old matches of the ones that still excite me, sometimes 15 years later.
But that match is one I will never, ever be able to watch again.
Beautiful. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Just as you can't watch that game again, I can't bring myself to go to that bar either. It did nothing wrong, but I can't untangle the memories from the place.
Hugs sizemo. Thanks for sharing your stories
Wow. I have now adequate words. But I send my condolences and pray for peace and comfort and the warmth of good memories of your paw paw wrap you up this football season and seasons to come.
Thank you, Timothy. I’m blessed to have so many reminders of him through football. I get to think of him every time I hear the Auburn fight song, which was his ringtone for as long as I can remember, and every time Ole Miss gets a first down, because he loved to say “First down! Ooooooooole Miss!” just like the stadium announcer does.
This inspired me. Incoming post soon.
Well that was a gut punch, but that captures the ups and downs of life.
I didn’t really know that it was going here in the end either, but I started writing and this is where we ended up.
A brilliant piece. Thank you.
Thank you!
Harsin was not a good coach.
Love how easy it is talk college football in the South, and the woman in the University of Phoenix shirt must have heard that question often. Harsin should coach there.