A Little Something More To Think About Than Your Average Bowl Game

This is not an ordinary sport's article. However, I thought it needed to be written and thought that the amazing people on B/R would understand why.

Some of you have been posting notes on my bulletin board asking where I have been. The truth is, I have simply not had time for football. I know that may be shocking to hear from me to some of you, but it's what happened. I found that were people that needed me to write for them more than this site did.

Before I go on, I guess I should explain.

Today was an amazing day. It truly was. And before you stop reading this, please understand this isn't a blog entry. I am getting to my point I promise.

I got to see inside the mind's of my fellow classmates today. I got to see how some of them think and how some of them care or don't care about the things that others deem important. And I know that sounds weird and a little on the 'Twilight' side but I'll explain further later.

Today, my high school wrote letters to the troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries overseas. I love the military and have many friends in it so organizing this and everything going smoothly was really important to me and has taken most of my time here recently.

I had a troop and very good friend of mine come in that had served in Iraq and share some of his experiences, and as I saw the looks on my classmate's faces...I couldn't help but realize that there was so much more than what we normally think about this time of year. BleacherReport's own Adam Wren came and changed so many lives today, and his presentation had nothing to do with football. It turns out, not only is he an amazing writer, but he is also an amazing speaker.

I know before this happened today the only thing that was really on my mind was Alabama losing to Florida. The devastating loss almost had me in shambles. Ok, maybe not shambles, but I was bummed. We fought so hard, only to come away with nothing really. But today changed my way of thinking.

Some fans ended their 2008 season way before last weekend. They knew even before their last game that they would not be eligible. Some knew that the last game would make them or break them. Some gave it their all and it just wasn't enough. Some didn't even seem to put up a fight, feeling that nothing could be done to stop the inevitable from happening. 

What if our troops thought this way? What if they just got tired of fighting and just stopped? What if black men and women hadn't kept fighting for their rights until they got what they wanted? What if women hadn't done the same? What if they simply gave up? What if, after one loss, even though they had an amazing season otherwise, they gave up? You get the idea...

This got me to thinking. Most people at this time of year are worried about what they will be getting for Christmas. This year, people are worried about what they will do for gifts since their cash is low. There is no doubt that the U.S. has run into some difficult times. However, they are not the worst by far.

Think back to WWI, WWII, The Great Depression, Vietnam, or even Sept. 11, 2001. All those times were much harder. Much worse. All of those times people had fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and other family members away from home fighting a war. We still have that going on now. Morale in Iraq is at an all time low and they need our help to stay strong so they don't give up this fight.

A lot of the time we think about people like Tim Tebow as some sort of amazing hero because he is a better than average quarterback. We think of people like Julio Jones and Glenn Coffee as amazing college football players as well as amazing people. And they are, for the reason that they give us an escape from everyday life and they really do have amazing talents. But what about those that did and are doing something more than college football or even the NFL? What about those that went to serve and are serving for our country?

This is just to let everyone know that maybe we should all take a small amount of time to think about those that are overseas or even in America who won't be with their families for Christmas, either because they have been killed in the line of duty or because they are fighting right now.

These troops are our heroes. Past and present. They are the ones we should be thinking about and praying for and thanking. Not the 4 star recruit your team just got, but the 4 star General that just realized he wouldn't be home to watch his kids open their Christmas presents.

I hope everyone has an amazing holiday season. Please continue to keep these amazing men and women in your prayers over the holidays and throughout the year. Merry Christmas, for those that celebrate that holiday!