The Game Day Mindset: Showing Up Every Day

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." – Lamentations 3:22-23

The end of 2026 will mark five years since my mother’s second stroke and the year our lives were changed. Since that time, I have watched how my parents show up for one another each day. Their love for one another makes my heart sing.

The way my mom honors my father and looks to him to guide her is amazing. Sometimes I don’t understand how she has put up with him for fifty plus years, but then I watch the way in which he quietly brings her a warm cloth to wipe her face in the morning. Or wants to share a piece of his cake or cookie with her in the afternoon, even though she has been diabetic since before the day they married. And, the way in which she responds “Honey, I can’t eat that” and he foo-foos her off and she staunchly says his name. And, he knows he should probably eat his snack quietly, but he has a decision to make: listen to the little angel on his right side or to the little devil on his left. Sometimes he chooses the left and then she swats at him and says “Stop that” and he laughs and she laughs. Then we all laugh because it’s worked for them for over fifty years now and what else can you do. 

And then there’s breakfast. An overflowing plate of food awaits her every morning. Too much for one person really, but that’s the way my parents have always been. Always overflowing with love for one another and for us, extended members of our family, and their friends. And, for as long as I can remember there has been the rose. Every few days when my dad is tending the garden, he has brought my mother one and no matter what has gone on, it seems to settle both their souls. If I had to guess it’s because my mom was saying a novena to St. Theresa, probably to help keep her from swatting at my dad too hard and the rose let her know the Big Guy in the sky heard her prayer.

My parents are not always on top of their game. Like most of us, there are some days when they are just worn out, and don’t always get it right, but they still show up for one another each day. Love, in all of its forms, asks very little of us beyond that. 

Watching my parents has taught me that faithfulness rarely comes in grand gestures or big victories. Often it arrives in small ordinary moments of steadfast love. The warm cloth. The cookie. The rose from the garden. Small acts offered again and again until they become part of who we are. 

By watching them, I have come to know that holding the football isn’t always about making the big play. Sometimes it’s simply running the same play over and over because someone you love needs you to.

Heavenly Father, thank You for your faithfulness. Thank You for amazing examples in our lives like our parents who show up for one another and us, even when they are not at the top of their game. Thank You, Lord, for an overflowing love and hearts that sing. Have a beautiful day! Amen.

All My Love,

Jen

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Hold the Football - Sometimes Holding the Football Means Trying Again - click here.