I Love LA

Austin

Coming Back Stronger

I watched the Super Bowl last year at my Aunt Linda's house in Dallas.  She is famous for her football parties all season long so I knew I couldn't miss the Big One.  She did not disappoint.  When the game started I was initially rooting for the Colt's.  No real reason, I just sort of picked a team.  Obviously the Saints won, but I found myself really happy for them and the city of New Orleans.  The rest of the country seemed to feel the same way.  The victory was about more than football... there were people in New Orleans who desperately needed something to celebrate after dealing with the rebuilding of their city in the aftermath of Katrina.

As the football season began this year, I thought I would read Drew Brees' book Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity.  It was a great look inside the long road to the celebration in February.  

Drew was the starting quarterback at Westlake High School in Austin and was leading the team to 5A state championships about the time I was going into high school.  So everyone knew who he was... he was a big deal.  His uncle, Marty Akins, was also the quarterback for the Texas Longhorns in the days of Earl Campbell and the game against Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.  Marty has been a family friend of ours for many years.  I also felt a special connection to this story because I was able to witness the damage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita right after they happened... as well as spend some time in the Astrodome when it served as the home to thousands of refugees from New Orleans, or "guests" as we called them.

Here's one of my pictures from the Astrodome

The book really makes it clear that facing adversity and challenges and times that may seem like setbacks or devastating loss are usually opportunities for growth and greater victories ahead.  Sometimes when things seem the most hopeless we are on the edge of breakthrough we never thought possible.  But we have to make a choice to trust in God, accept the challenge, move forward, and like Drew, Come back Stronger.  His challenges included his family being torn apart, devastating injuries that could have ended his career, and the suicide of his mother.  His response to these challenges is inspirational.

I will remain loyal to the Cowboys when it comes to rooting for a team in the NFL, but I am a Drew Brees fan.

You Think You're Fancy?

That's what I was asked as I presented my electronic boarding pass on my iphone at the TSA checkpoint in the Austin airport.  Yes.  I am fancy.