25 Prayers of Christmas, Day 17

Who knew we would still be watching high school football this late in the year! Our local high school football team, the Del Oro Golden Eagles, is headed to the State Championship playoff game tomorrow afternoon. We'll be at Sacramento State to watch them play, but Randy wanted to do something special for the team. So he made them all dinner last night after practice -- steak and pasta and mashed potatoes for 75 boys. It was a treat to watch!

Randy made plenty of food, and insisted that the coaches take home the leftovers to their families. Coach Casey said, you just get in a rhythm of practicing every night and playing every week and you don't even realize how much time has gone by. "I wrote a check the other day and I had no idea we were halfway through December!"

Today my prayer is for the wives and kids of those coaches. The sacrifice they make during the regular season is great, but for those teams who do well the sacrifice is even greater. And for the dedicated parents who were all sitting in their minivans in the parking lot last night waiting to take their kids home at 7 pm. May God continue to give you the strength to love and support your kids and coaches during these long days, may you find moments of quality time even in the midst of your chaotic schedules, and may your Christmas be especially blessed this year.