news:cde2cc55-c99f-452e...@z22g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
My wife's great aunt was a fantastic woman and a Jets fan. We used to go to
the games with her till she was in her mid 90's. She loved football.
Because of some family connections she knew some of the players from quite a
few years ago too and they would actually come see her from time to time.
She passed away a couple of years ago. Anyway, she had two friends who were
Nuns in a convent not too far from The Meadowlands. She asked me a few
times to take her to visit them. It was actually a blast, we went out for
lunch and it was always a tremendous learning event for me. I kept my mouth
shut and listened and learned. These were women who used to take a ferry to
go to NYC...no bridge was there yet. I heard the entire story of why the
Nuns became Nuns and you are quite right about what drove it. One was from
Ireland, and she had very little other choices to make. They had very
devoted and productive lives. Both of the ones who were friends of our Aunt
spent their lives helping in hospitals and with the disabled. There is a
lot there to be admired. For me....that Nun I'm referring to had a sign in
her office....it said, "Football is not a matter of life and death--It is
much more important than that." She never missed a game. I loved Mondays
at work when she would talk to me about how my linebackers performed. She
was in her 80's and knew what she was talking about too. She told me she
liked my coaching style because I rarely ever hollered but always talked to
players coming out of the game by taking them aside and "alone." I do miss
those days....all of those Nuns are gone now. They were all very well
educated too and very smart.