March Madness

March Madness - Spring is on it's way! It's that time again! Time to pick your favorites and stare at every game until your eyeballs feel as if they'll fall right out. Okay, that was kinda gross. Sorry!   March Madness has been celebrated in my family (Dad's side) since I can remember.  My Grandma Loraine (Grandma Raine as we called her) was the biggest fan EVER! I don't think she missed a moment and that includes the era where you had to stick to one channel at a time, no DVR or split-screen.  I have fond memories of her sitting in her chair sipping beer and clutching the bracket schedule that had been printed in the paper.  The schedule was nicely folded & carefully filled out as she tracked who would make the sweet 16, the Final Four, and onto the victor.  I recall she always cheered the loudest for UNLV.  She could recite statistics and could tell you what transpired in each game.  It was fascinating to watch! You learned early on to not bug Grandma during this time.   She loved basketball & I'll always be reminded of her especially during this time of the year.  My Dad has carried on the tradition of staking out the recliner for each tip off, but doesn't write down all the results like Grandma use to.  When I was in the hospital, March Madness coincided with my time in Rehab and as I worked hard in therapies, my Dad watched the games from my room, always updating me when I returned between sessions.  It was nice to have that familiar sound of the ball traveling back & forth down the court, the squeaking of the shoes, and the school's fight songs & cheers.  It was almost as if I had a piece of childhood transported to my hospital room for me. Much in the same way, I wish I served God with the excitement my Grandma had for that tournament.  I don't want to come across as I don't think my relationship with God is good, because it's better & stronger than it's been in years. I'm just in the beginning of a revamp.  I'm getting more excited about going to Church & doing devotionals.  I'm trying desperately to lean on God & surrender all that I am. Is it easy? NO! But, I'm trying.  I long to be able to cite stories & scripture the way my Grandma rattled off scores & other stats.  I know I've picked a favorite (God) so that's settled, but I've yet to write a 'fight song' or any cheers.  I want nothing to stand in my way or hinder me from being whom I'm meant to be.  This I'm working on and there's much to be done.  Will I fall? Yes, I'm sure I will, but there's always tomorrow & I know who hold those days.  Many things are different about my Grandma's excitement for March Madness and my excitement for being a follower of Christ... God's book is clear about who the winner is and it's more than one page long, God offers erasers (forgiveness) if you make a mistake with your stats keeping (Christian walk), it doesn't matter how much is going on, how many games are being played, God is there all the time, watching it all! Here's to Spring! New beginnings & new life! Blessings.