some advice from a seasoned wife

Behind the Scenes with the OSU Buckeyes by Ellen Tressel In the AFCWA's book Married to the Game, I volunteered a quote a few years ago handed down by my father-in-law. He too, like my husband, was a football coach for many years and definitely understood the "game of life". He said, "In your lifetime, you will have a thousand opportunities to keep your mouth shut-use every one of them." Well, summer has come to anend-our new season of football has begun- and football fans and football widows are either celebrating or dreading this time.For many people, it's all about football - nothing else seems quite as important. They get pumped watching the sport, watching the players, and eagerly volunteer their opinions about the actions on the field. You, as a football coach's wife, hear the good and the bad and at times grit your teeth through your smile. Do they really have any idea what it's all about, you wonder? Do they know how many hours your husband, the assistants, and the team has prepared for this day? Of course they don't, and they really don't care. They just want to win. We recently played a game that would try the patience of "Job". It was a dreadful day, one you'd like to erase from the history books, and somehow we managed to eek out a victory. But on this particular day, there were no happy faces to be found. Everything that could go wrong - did; and, it was difficult to be excited about a win. As I greeted my husband after the game, my smile and hug and reassuring love seemed insignificant, and the ride home was pretty quiet. What do you say in a situation like this? Are there any words appropriate to soothe a bruised ego, calm the emotional turmoil in his mind, suppress the frustration of the day? I prayed for guidance and asked God to channel my emotions into something positive. "Patience" I kept hearing a voice say. "Patience." Then I remembered my father-in-law's quote and I thought-gosh, anything I say right now might only make it worse. Be patient, time is on your side. Well, time was on my side. Within a short period, Jim began to express his feelings and his concerns of the day. My "listening ear" became the non-verbal reassurance that he needed to get past the disappointment. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason, and when God plants seeds of thoughts in your mind, you had better be listening - because they do have significance. You may not always know it right away, but when it's important, it usually comes back around, and you hear it again and again. The next day as I sat down at my desk and proceeded to open my emails, the first one that popped up said: Today's quote comes to you from Leadership Lessons/Daily Motivation.It read: "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up!" --- Vince Lombardi The timing could not have been better. God was speaking to the entire Buckeye Football Family. The message went on to say, "Your success in life will not be measured by your wins and losses that right now seem so important. They will fade away." "Your success in life will not be measured by your competence, but your character- not what you learned, but what you taught- not what you bought, but what you built." "What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example." "What will matter will be your significance and the impact you have had on others." "It's time to get up and begin again." God's goodness had shone upon us and was filling us again with great glory. A new day in the world of football had begun.