WHO DAT Nation

Now if you're reading this and you aren't a New Orleans native you are probably wondering--what is WHO DAT Nation....well I'll tell you. Years and years ago someone started a chant in the New Orleans Superdome during a Saints game...."Who Dat, Who Dat Who Dat Say Da Gonna Bet Dem Saints."

And a whole nation was started. Who Date Nation is what they call the legions of Saints fans and tonight I was fortunate enough to meet a few members all the way up here in Peoria. And so I think we have started our very own Peoria Area Who Dat Nation.

Nothing is more exciting than meeting people from home. I met an older couple--they had children that are probably 5 years younger than me--that had been transplanted up to Peoria from Mandeville, Louisiana about 3 years ago. They're children still live in Louisiana and we started exchanging stories while watching the Saints-Dolphins football game at a local pizza joint that had television screens in every booth. Then we started worrying about the game--as they saints were down 24-10 at the half. But as the 2nd half started and the game started to pick up, they invited me to join them to watch the game...we suddenly found out that they went to my church, and their season tickets that they children still use are just 3 sections away from my brother and his wife's season tickets. It was just amazing.

And after a major upset win, they said they would see me in two weekends for the next Sunday game. How much fun is that.

It's always great to find a little piece of home away from home. But it's even better when you find PEOPLE who can share that same piece of home away from home.

It really is a small world....with some very ordinary miracles.

How 'Bout Dem Saints

Fan...it means something different to different people. For me being a New Orleans Saints' fan is true committment. There were days when I was a kid that they were so bad, the fans in the stadium would actually wear bags over their heads. I don't even think the Detroit fans were doing that last year when the Lions were 0-16.

But today, the Saints beat the Giants--a team that is considered to be one of the best in the league--48-27. They are now 5-0. Some that has only happened 2 other times in the team's history. And it brings me to my ordinary miracle of today...determination. There were many times when they talked about selling the team, or moving the team--especially after hurricane Katrina devistated the city. But the city wouldn't have it...and the players wouldn't have it either. I have to give it to the players. The city was destroyed and yet the players wanted to come back and play and LIVE in the city. That's determination and dedication. And the fact that there are years when the team is so close to a championship and don't make it or they are so FAR from a championship and they still come back the next year to try all over again.

THAT'S DETERMINATION. How can I possibly say "I can't do something" when they come back year after year to try once again for a championship.

You gotta love it...and you have to love the support that the team gets---we natives are known for saying things like "Bless You Boys" and "Who 'Dat Say They Gonna Beat Dem Saints." It's not great grammar but it simply means there is no one that can touch us. And it's always "US" or "OUR" boys. That's the other miracle of the day...true, unwavering support. If you've got that, ANTYHING is possible...

...maybe even a Saints Superbowl!

Courage and Faith

I've thought a lot about faith and courage over the last few days...maybe the last few weeks. Recently I ended a long term relationship. I still love him. Every day I still find something in my house or around me that makes me think of him. And we are still very close and will probably be for the rest of our lives. But we are both at different points in our life. He's starting new endeavors, trying to figure out what he wants to "be when he grows up." And I'm settled. I love my house, enjoy my friends, thrive at my work (even if I'm not sure if it's exactly what I want to do). I have found my happy place. And our two paths have grown further and further apart.

So we took a line from the musical "Wicked." In "Defying Gravity", Elphaba sings "It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap." And so that's what I did...as we talked on the phone one night I said "This isn't working" and he said "Yeah." And that was it. There were tears here and there and I have to admit, there are occasions when I cry for no reason (or at least no apparent reason. But it's like I finally stopped holding my breath wondering what would happen.

And that's Faith....knowing that someone or something has a plan and sometimes you have to just let go and follow it...even if you don't know where it's going to take you. Several weekends before we ended our relationship, I went into church and asked God what to do. And he told me. But I told him I wasn't ready. And he said, ok and then waited for me to be ready. That's faith...and I thank God every day that I have it. Because I wouldn't make it through this without it.

So where does Courage come in to play? I have slowly but surely been telling friends and family what has happened. To be honest, I don't really know what to say...telling people that we "broke up" just doesn't seem like the right phrase. We aren't broken....we just aren't romantically linked. But one of the friends that I told apparently discussed it with her husband who said he admired my courage. I didn't think of it that way. I have not thought that I was courageous at all. I just thought that I was following my path. But I guess it takes courage to let go...

So here I sit, wondering where this path will take me. I have great faith that it will lead me to the right person at the right time. And I take comfort in knowing that I have the courage to make it through...I only hope that he has the courage to make it as well.