For the last 4 years, I have watched as my husband has lived out his passion of being a football coach.
I have watched, as he has...
-Fallen in love with a new group of 20-25 boys and the dynamic they share each season that begins. Loving them, teaching them, holding them accountable, and guiding them as he would if they were each his own.
-Lost sleep over players, plays, big games, parent issues, coaches issues, plans, strategies, and countless other things.
-Made some very difficult and brave decisions.
-Stood up for those decisions, when many turned their back on him.
-Struggled, enjoyed, and triumphed in the building of a program that he believes in from the bottom of his heart.
And although this season did not end up how everyone had hoped and dreamed...I find it hard to see my husband as anything but a true champion. As the years have passed, I have watched some pretty tough losses. I have seen a cruel world turn it's back on him, only for him to keep fighting onward in the pursuit of his truth and beliefs.
Of course this season, for us, was much different than most, as we celebrated the happiest and most exciting time in our lives, followed by a personal tragedy unlike anything either of us had faced before. And through it all, when I looked at my husband, I saw a Warrior.
I saw a Warrior as he spent the summer anxiously awaiting and planning out the season ahead...and...the new upcoming role of parenthood.
I saw a Warrior as his team remained successful and he refused to give himself the credit, claiming that it was only the boys and what they had done for themselves that had gotten them to the point they were at.
I saw a Warrior as I watched him hold our little girl in his arms with strength and courage as his heart shattered into a million pieces.
I saw a Warrior as he carried on his many daily duties, responsibilities to his team and his job, and took on the responsibility of carrying me through my most difficult endeavor. An act that I will always deem impossible to repay.
I saw a Warrior as he held my hand, or held me close and stayed awake...sometimes for hours, as I cried myself to sleep every single night for weeks, with eyes full of his own pain, stress, and exhaustion.
So, no, I cannot say that I look at this football season with disappointment and sorrow for their 2nd place finish. I see a group of boys who are hard workers. A team of leaders who are learning life lessons, gaining a passion for the sport, and loving every minute of it. I see the accumulation of years of dedication, and doing a lot of things that at the time, are not that "fun" to step toward the greater good of the goal. History was made, and I see a group that is hungry for more. For second chances. For next year.
But above all, for me, standing at the front of the pack...humbly beaming with pride for his team..his "other family"...I see a man with the heart of a Warrior.
I love him now...today... more than I ever thought possible to love anyone or anything. Words could never express how grateful I am to have been given this gift of his love in my life. When I married Kevin Clausen I had no idea of what I was getting myself into in many, MANY regards. Yet somehow, I ended up the luckiest.
I ended up with a Warrior.
