What Really Matters

First off I must talk about my seven year old daughter and what a sweet child she has become. Yesterday morning she woke up at 6:30 and waited very patiently for one her parents to come downstairs so she could call her three grandparents. The reason why she wanted to call her three grandparents was to wish them a very Happy Grandparents Day!! Most people don't even know about this holiday and I suspect Hallmark invented this day as a means to boost card sales but that is neither here nor there. My daughter was reading one of her books on Saturday night and one of the chapters spoke about Grandparents Day. Then she went over to her calendar and noticed that Sunday was Grandparents Day. She asked us if she could call her grandparents on Sunday to wish them a very happy grandparents day and of course we said yes. What my wife and I didn't realize was how serious she was about making these phone calls hence her getting up so early on non-school day.

As I made my way downstairs I noticed both my daughter and son were not in their rooms and I heard the television on. The first thing my daughter asked me was if she could call her grandparents and I said of course because early mornings are more advantageous to us being on the West Coast as opposed to the opposite. My daughter proceeded to call each of her grandparents only to get their answering machine but she left a very sweet message on each of their answering machines. She did finally get a hold of one of her Grandmothers on her cell phone and they had a very nice conversation. Then within an hour the other two grandparents returned her call. What a sweet child she has become and I love her so very much. These are the things that matter most in the world not some idiotic wager on a sporting event.

Which brings me to my next point. This weekend marked the kickoff (if you will!) of the National Football League and the major college football games. In years past I would have a vested interest on too many games. Not so this year and it has been a long time since I can say this. Actually the last time I didn't have a wager on football game was 8 years ago. I really thought about my previous sportsbetting escapades and what an idiot I had become. I think I wrote about this before so I will be brief. The college and football games take place on the weekends and it was such a chore to get my bets in and not be noticed it really wasn't any fun but I still did it. How stupid is this concept?? I had to have a wager but I wouldn't even watch most of the games because I didn't want anyone to know I was gambling again. I did this for last 7 years!!!

The only time I felt relief was when all the bets were made which on the weekends was before 9:00 am Pacific time but the old knot in the stomach would return as the early games became finals and I had to start the craziness all over again. It really was a chore but I didn't view it this way when I was doing it. It would be something I thought I "had" to do. If this is not insanity I don't know what insanity is!!

I would check the scores during the day and I really had no idea how I was doing especially on a college football Saturdays with over 20 plus games wagered on. I would focus on a few key scores but I would never take time away from my family to watch the games for fear of being found out. I know this makes no sense to the general population and thank God for that. We don't need an entire population of compulsive gamblers because the world would have some upside down thinking. As the games went on this weekend I enjoyed my family and kept my eye on the things that really matter most which are my wife, daughter and son.