Remember that Southern Mississippi Game...

My Mom used to go to one Alabama football game a year with me.  In 2001 as the summer ended we had planned to go to the Southern Mississippi game on September 15th in Birmingham.   Little did we know that 4 days prior to the game that the entire world would seem to have ended.  Terrorist attacks, deaths, uncertainties and more surrounded us via every news outlet.

All the games for September 15 were postponed.  Then later as the world settled down to a hum instead of a roar the Southern Mississippi game was moved to Thursday November 30.  It was so odd to have a game cancelled back then and it was unimaginable for Alabama to play on a Thursday night.

Football didn't seem all that important yet it was the normalcy that was missed for us as fall meant many trips to Alabama for football and lots of visiting with family that often settled in randomly during the other months of the year.

Alabama was struggling back in 2001.  The Southern Miss game which was won 28-15 by Bama helped Alabama improve to a 6-5 record and qualify for a bowl game that year.  The most memorable thing about the game was the weather - all day long there was hubbub about whether the fame would even be played as a slow moving front moved thru with 30-35 mile per hour wind driven rain.  IT LASTED THE ENTIRE GAME.  

Mom, Brooklyn, Blake and I sat huddled against a inside stadium retaining wall protecting us from the back and basically a tarp over us and more rain gear than I could probably assemble today.  Much of the fame I though we were doing good.  I was pretty dry for the conditions.  We peeked out to watch the game.  It was a miserable experience - something you don't really have at an Alabama game. Miserable. 

We got back to the car.  I mentioned that we'd done pretty good.  Mom, never one to complain about much of anything, especially while we were out doing something said "I'M SOAKED!"  What I didn't know was that she'd caught the brunt of the blowing rain coming in under the tarp.  

Our suffrage was nothing compared to what others were going thru in the fall of 2001.  Lives changed forever so in the end I'm forever grateful for the four of us getting to experience the day together and the game.  It's one we talked about for years and still talk about at times.

I always look at September 2001 as a shock to our lives.  It made us love, long and cherish the average day.  It woke us up from ourselves.  It was horrible but it didn't destroy us.

Alabama will play Southern Miss next Saturday 9/18 in Tuscaloosa.  I hope it's a beautiful day.  We will walk thru metal detectors because the world still hasn't figured out how to love unconditionally.  I'll recall that game 20 years ago but most of all I hope new memories ease the old ones or slip in comfortably next to them and one day we will say "Remember that Southern Miss game when...".

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Written on the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.  In honor of all whose lives were changed forever and in honor of all whose life was lost.

Written with the thought that LIFE IS GOOD.  Find good things.  Learn to love unconditionally. Use today to celebrate life and lives.

Dedicated to Lola McClellan and Judy Mixon whose birthdays are today.  Live big ladies!

Dedicated to Jesse Knighton and the memory of Jack Knighton whose anniversary is today.  Love you!