Cheering on the sidelines

My children play soccer. I don't. After many years of watching many games, however, I do get it. I understand the rules - they make sense to me. Kick the ball down the field into the opponents' goal and keep it away from your goal. Be aggresive. Get the ball. Run fast. Kick hard. Block shots. And on the sidelines, we cheer like crazy when they perform well. We yell, "Nice shot!" or "Great teamwork!" or"Good try!" And we mean it and we're proud and we feel a little glow when it's our child who just made that fabulous pass.

Sometimes, though, I have my own private little cheers. These I don't yell out. I keep these to myself. Others wouldn't understand. But I cheer inside when my son hesitates because he really doesn't want to take the ball away from someone who had it first. I cheer when my daughter glances back to make sure the girl who fell down is alright. I cheer when I see any kid go over to the guy who just missed the goal and give a pat or a hug. I cheer when, even for just a moment, the game is set aside for humanity's sake.

So you may see me cheering along with everyone else at the appropriate moments. But inside, I'll be watching a very different game.