Sarah Nigbor

There’s no question that this has been a tough year for our family, but we have much to be grateful for. When I'm feeling discouraged or overwhelmed, I remind myself of all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me.

For example, the opportunity to watch my sons play football in the state championship game in Madison last week. My husband is the defensive coordinator for Baldwin-Woodville and they made their first state appearance since 1994 at Camp Randall last week in the Division 4 championship game against Racine St. Katherine. My daughter and I attended the game; it was Carolina’s first trip to Camp Randall and she was enthralled by the historic Badger stadium.

Getting into the stadium was an adventure in itself. While my husband and three boys rode the bus with the team, we girls were on our own. I’ll be the first to admit that I am not good at driving in the dark and rain. With a 7 p.m. game start time on Thursday, we ended up driving in, you guessed it, the dark and relentless rain. The glare from the lights off the wet pavement always throws me off and it’s hard to see. A chattering tween next to me doesn’t help, because you know I need silence to see. Don’t you always turn down your radio when trying to find something?

We ended up parking about a mile from the stadium because every lot we found was full. We hoofed it to the stadium as quick as we could wearing four layers of clothing in pouring rain carrying blankets. We were prepared with long johns and hand warmers. The security guards even let me bring an umbrella.

The weather during the game was dreadful. It was a never-ending cold rain with gusts of chilling wind. We tried to stay dry the best we could, but it was a losing battle. I can’t imagine what the players on the sidelines felt like. But despite the miserable conditions, the experience was amazing. I got chills when I saw my three boys and husband line up with the team for the singing of the national anthem. Ethan is a senior, Dawson is a freshman and Lincoln was a water boy.

BW fell behind early, but soon battled back. I could feel the tension emanating from Shane every time the ball turned over and his defense had to stymy the attack again. It was a battle to the end and while BW lost 22-26 in the last seconds of the game, I was still extremely proud. Those boys fought so hard. They worked hard to represent the Middle Border Conference against a very talented private school team. Don’t get me started on that.

Even though my boys were disappointed, it was an amazing opportunity for them and I am so happy they could share it with their dad on the field. Not many kids get to do that. It’s something I will not soon forget. Carolina was a trooper throughout the entire soggy game, and a lifesaver afterward getting her poor, visually challenged mother safely to the correct parking garage.

I also want to thank everyone who has reached out offering support and encouragement to my mother and me as we navigate her health issues. I cannot tell you how much it means to me. Perfect strangers have been so kind and your comments have lifted my spirits.

I wish you all a blessed and abundant Thanksgiving and as always, thank you for reading.