Wailing and gnashing of teeth

There is a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth in the deep south tonight. The world champion Saints are flat and today got beat up by a bad football team that found a way to win playing inspiring football. In the interest of self disclosure I must admit to my fair share of whining, complaining and down right disgust at today's events. The Saints are playing poorly and Drew Brees is so out of sync it's not even funny. The injuries in both the offensive and defensive backfield as well as a key linebacker are taking a toll. But the real dilema for all Saints fans is just the all out uninspiring play of a team that took all of us on a magic carpet ride that brought home the world championship and made a city proud in the post-Katrina reality.

But try as I might, I hope to keep things in perspective going forward. First, I've been here before. As a Saints fan that has attended a game in every decade the Saints have existed, I've seen the good the bad and the ugly. And over 44 years there has been much more bad and ugly. But the good; the very good of last years Super Bowl is a memory that will last forever. Maybe the disappontment and frustration of this season is beacuse last season was so special. Naturally we all want to experience it over and over again.

Tonight, in a much calmer mood, I've been reminded of many things that count so much more than football; even for a passionate fan. Assisting at Mass tonight was the perfect remedy for a disaffected football fan. Seeing the big picture always helps. I saw a daughter of a dear friend tonight who is having her first baby, I got to visit with one of my deacon candidate friends after Mass. And tonight found out about a few friends dealing with some medical issues; again proper perspective.

We do escape to things like football and other hobbies, entertainment to help us cope with life. Hopefully we never allow these things to take the place of God and our faith. So let the wailing and gnashing of the teeth continue. I'm going to try to keep all of this in perspective going forward. Geaux Saints for sure but for my joy and peace I'll geaux to God. His winning streak is eternal!