I know you have seen the car tag with the words…”A House Divided” and two different college teams represented on each side. Yep, we have one of those tags. Our tag has a big “A” on one side and a big “G” on the other. That is our house…..divided.

I would like to say that my husband is the poor sport of the family, but the truth is that I like for my team to win as much as he does. Later today when the big SEC Championship game takes place, our divided house will be watching and cheering in separate locations. Dave will be with his family in Waycross while I watch and cheer with my family in Patterson. I don’t want to hear his family scream and cheer for Georgia, and he doesn’t want to hear us hoop and holler for Bama. When it is all said and done, one of us will be very happy and satisfied and the other will surely feel sad and disappointed. But, when the game is over we will all meet back up at the same location in Blackshear and call a truce until the next time our teams play each other again.

Don’t get me wrong….we love sports at the Rowland house. We really love college football, and we really love our favorite teams. Dave was born a Bulldog, and I have told you before, I think I had crimson and white baby booties! But the truth is that as much as we love the Tide and the Dawgs, we love our family even more.

When I think about how excited Holt Rowland would be today I get a little sad. He absolutely loved college football and the University of Alabama. Today he would have on his favorite Bama visor and his favorite Bama shirt, and he would be ready for game time. Many times Holt and I have jumped, cheered, and fussed at announcers and referees while watching the Tide play. We have had a ball together watching football…..especially when our team wins. Even with the Georgia fans in our family around us, we have still had a ball 🙂 Good times and good memories.

Sometimes when I think about Holt and wanting so badly to see him again, I imagine that I am in a stadium, as large as the Georgia Dome, and it is packed with people like it will surely be later today. I imagine that I am in the nosebleed section, and I look to see Holt standing on the 50 yard line in the middle of the field. I imagine myself tearing through the rows of people to get to him. Going as quickly as I can down the steep steps trying to hurry to get to where he is standing and waiting. I imagine how if I saw him standing there, I would ignore the thousands of people all around just to get to Holt so I could hug and hold him. I try to imagine the feeling of finally getting to him after fighting through the crowd of the people and the maze of seats and obstacles. The feeling of pure joy to have my hands on Holt again and to know that I would never have to let go of him…..not ever.

I can’t begin to describe to you the emotions that I would feel if this could happen to me right now. Imagine how you would feel if you had not touched, held, or spoke to your child in over two years. Torture, that is how it feels. But the pure excitement of knowing that a day WILL come when I WILL see Holt Rowland again keeps me going and looking toward the future. I do not know what things will look like on that day, and I seriously doubt that it will involve a packed football stadium, but the feeling I will experience when I finally get to hold him again will be better than I can imagine. I cannot wait for that day! Thinking about it makes me so happy; it gives me hope. My family may be divided for now but the Bible tells me that it is only divided temporarily. Thank you Jesus for making that possible.

So today, whether your team wins or loses, whether you are satisfied or disappointed as the last second ticks of the clock, remember that all we see now is really temporary. But what we cannot see lasts forever.

To all football fans everywhere……may the best team win today, and may all families remember what is really important when the game is over.

PS>Good luck this week to the Ware County Gators as they continue in the state playoffs. The Holt Rowland Foundation is cheering for you! We believe and appreciate you.

PSS> It remains to be seen where Hunter Rowland will watch the game today, but he is wearing a crimson colored shirt right now so I have my suspicions! 🙂