Final Four

Good Evening, it is LuAnn here, filling in for my dear blogger. I am sneaking in this post while I am watching the Final Four in NCAA Men's Basketball. Ed and I always look forward to March Madness. It makes a long month, when a farmer is just dying to get into the fields, go a bit faster. We pick our brackets and compare. We are both very competitive so we really try hard to outdo each other! We pick "game time" foods and eat in front of the TV for the entire month. It is a fun time that we enjoy each year.

This year, Pitt and Louisville goofed me up right from the start. Then Duke and NC let me down. Of course, Ed went with the Buckeyes all the way and we all know how that went down. I knew my beloved Xavier Musketeers probably would not advance too far but I never dreamed that they would be knocked out in the first round.

Once my bracket was destroyed, I begin to cheer for the underdog in every game. There is something about an underdog that just makes you want to see them succeed. They seem to play with more heart, more enthusiasm and you know that they are going to leave it all on the court when the buzzer sounds at the end.

I tend to be a champion of the underdog in real life, too. I believe it is a Christian mission to care for the least of our brothers and sisters. Whenever I get discouraged or stressed in my work, I think of Jesus admonishing us to feed the hungry, house the homeless, visit the imprisoned and give hope to the hopeless. Mind you, I am not a bleeding heart liberal, I believe in teaching the less fortunate how to take care of themselves but I know that there are some who simply cannot do it.

Right now I am filled with compassion for the Japanese. You can see them fighting for control of their situation and trying to be brave and strong but you can also see the anguish in their faces. Right now, they are the underdog in a fight on a scale that we cannot even begin to imagine. They need our prayers and compassion.

You might be wondering how I got from the Final Four to the Japanese earthquake tragedy. That is how my mind works. Drives Ed crazy sometimes but I can follow my common thread even when others seem lost in my random thoughts....smile....

Tonight, if you are enjoying the game, are cheering for the underdog, are watching young men give their whole heart to their game, remember there are underdogs in real life fighting against really bad odds on the other side of the world. Give them a moment of your time with a prayer. And if you are inclined, give to an organization of your choice that will help them win the battle they are in. God Bless.