We Don't Get to Decide When We Play Our Last Game

Free shipping on all orders over $75🎄

We are all family here in Nebraska, at least that is what I like to believe. When you pass a vehicle on the road you wave. When you have extra cucumbers from your garden, you take them to the neighbor. When a 22-year-old young man dies tragically in a car accident, it breaks your heart knowing the pain his family is experiencing.

Husker football is more than a sport for most Nebraskans, it’s a way of life. When I was a child those players were my super heroes. When “we” won the National Championship in 94 and again in 95, it felt life changing. As an adult I see those young men playing on the field giving time and dedication that should be applauded regardless of the season outcome. My brother-in-law played for the Huskers and I was able to see first-hand the love the teammates and coaches have for each other. They are more than teammates, they are brothers.

As Nebraskans we are all family, we “bleed Husker red” and this weekend we all suffered a great loss as starting punter Sam Foltz passed away. According to www.huskers.com “Sam Foltz was a preseason candidate for the Ray Guy Award and was expected to be one of the nation’s top punters in 2016 before he tragically lost his life in an automobile accident on July 23. The 2015 Eddelman-Fields Big Ten Punter of the Year, Foltz died after attending a kicking camp near Waukesha, Wis. He was 22 years old.”

Take two minutes and scroll through social media #RIP27 and you will find that Sam Foltz is being remembered as a man with a kind heart, honorable character and Christian faith. “You never know who’s watching,” Foltz tweeted last Tuesday, July 19. “What impact do you wanna leave on the next generation to aspire to?! #DreamBig”

We don’t get to decide when we play our last game. Please join me in praying for Sam Foltz’s family, friends and teammates. If you all could also please pray for the family and friends of former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler who also passed away in the crash. Also, pray for LSU kicker Colby Delahoussaye who was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash and according to ESPN.com “needed stitches and suffered burns on his legs.” #RIP27

Feature Photo Used Via Twitter

This article originally appeared on Acreage of Grace

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Her View Shop

Abigail Vetick

Hello! My name is Abigail. I am a Christian saved by grace, a wife to my high school sweetheart, a mama to Brecken and Annabelle and a blogger at Acreage of Grace. I live on the outskirts of a tiny little town in central Nebraska. Buying our 116-year-old acreage was the best decision we ever made because it financially enabled us to live off of one income and for me to become a Stay at Home Mama. Follow our journey at http://acreageofgrace.blogspot.com/Also join me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Sharing Our Grief Frees Our Hearts

In: Grief, Loss, Motherhood

Two women holding hands over a hospital bed, color photo

Almost 18 years ago, we lost our first child. It was unexpected. It was public. It was traumatic. It was a moment in time that even to this day, burns with a scorching flame, running like a reel in my memory and igniting a pain deeper than anything I’ve ever known into the empty corners of my heart. And while time has marched on in beautiful ways—healthy children who I get to watch grow up, an incredible marriage with the love of my life, a gratitude for all the milestones each year brings—I still can’t help but hold space for the...

Keep Reading

As Long as It Beats, a Grieving Heart Lives with the Pain of Loss

In: Grief, Loss

Woman walking through brown field with hand outstreatched

Life churns forward in a somewhat continued and steady momentum that I find I must consistently adjust my pace to keep up with. There isn’t tolerance in life for the way grief seems to ache for pause. In the silence of this space, my body feels crushed under the weight. I sit alone with my thoughts often. I’ve made peace with the solitude that surges in the aftermath of death. Maybe not peace. Perhaps it’s surrender. After all, which one of us doesn’t fall prey to the helplessness of mortality? I can no longer count on one hand those I’ve...

Keep Reading

6 Things You Can Do Now to Help Kids Remember Their Grandparents

In: Grief, Living, Loss, Motherhood

Grandfather dances with granddaughter in kitchen

A month ago, my mom unexpectedly passed away. She was a vibrant 62-year-old grandma to my 4-year-old son who regularly exercised and ate healthy. Sure, she had some health scares—breast cancer and two previous brain aneurysms that had been operated on successfully—but we never expected her to never come home after her second surgery on a brain aneurysm. It has been devastating, to say the least, and as I comb through pictures and videos, I have gathered some tips for other parents of young kids to do right now in case the unexpected happens, and you’re left scrambling to never...

Keep Reading

I’m Not Ready for Life Without My Mom

In: Grief, Loss

Woman sad sitting by a window looking out

I’m not ready. Not ready for time to just keep trudging forward without her. Four years have gone by, and I still think about her every day. When that awful third day of October rules around every year it’s like a tidal wave comes and sweeps me up tossing me this way and that. The rest of the year I can bob up and down with the occasional waves of grief. But the week before October 3rd the waves pick up, and I can’t see over the crest of one before the next is already upon me. I find myself...

Keep Reading

Since She Left

In: Grief, Loss

Older, color photo of mother and young daughter blowing out birthday candles

It’s been 14 years since she left. It’s like a lifetime ago and yesterday at the same time. The loss of my mother was indescribable. We never had a traditional relationship. As I grew older, our roles were very much reversed, but even still, missing one’s mother (for lack of a better word) is hard . . . plain and simple. Sometimes I wonder, what is it exactly that I miss? Of course, I miss talking to her. I miss how she drove me crazy. I miss her baking. I miss hearing about her newest needlepoint. I miss when she...

Keep Reading

I Carried You for Just 17 Weeks but I’ll Hold You in My Heart Forever

In: Grief, Loss, Motherhood

Ultrasound image of baby in second trimester

September 11 will be a date that is forever etched in my heart, not only because of its historical significance but because it’s the day I saw your lifeless little body on the ultrasound screen. I couldn’t hold back the sobs. My chest suddenly felt heavier than a ton of bricks. I’ve been here before. I’ve had losses, but none this late. I didn’t feel their movements or hear so many strong heartbeats at my checkups. Your siblings felt you move and squealed with utter excitement. I want to wake from this nightmare, but it seems it’s my new reality....

Keep Reading

To the Woman Longing to Become a Mother

In: Faith, Grief, Motherhood

Woman looking at pregnancy test with hand on her head and sad expression

To the woman who is struggling with infertility. To the woman who is staring at another pregnancy test with your flashlight or holding it up in the light, praying so hard that there will be even the faintest line. To the woman whose period showed up right on time. To the woman who is just ready to quit. I don’t know the details of your story. I don’t know what doctors have told you. I don’t know how long you have been trying. I don’t know how many tears you have shed. I don’t know if you have lost a...

Keep Reading

I Was There to Walk My Mother to Heaven

In: Faith, Grief, Loss

I prayed to see my momma die. Please don’t click away yet or judge me harshly after five seconds. I prayed to see, to experience, to be in the room, to be a part of every last millisecond of my momma’s final days, final hours, and final moments here on Earth. You see, as a wife of a military man, I have always lived away from my family. I have missed many birthdays, celebrations, dinners, and important things. But my heart couldn’t miss this important moment. I live 12 hours away from the room in the house where my momma...

Keep Reading

To the Loss Mom Whose Tears Keep Her Company Tonight

In: Grief, Loss, Motherhood

Sad woman sitting up in bed with head in hands

Three pregnancies in one year. Three first trimesters. Three moments of celebration . . . until they turned to moments of sorrow. I’m sure every woman who experiences pregnancy loss has the thought, “I never thought this would happen to me.” I truly never thought this would happen to me. I have two healthy boys—conceived easily, uncomplicated pregnancies, by-the-book deliveries. We even thought we were done having kids . . . until the pregnancy test was positive. That’s when my heart opened up to more children, and I realized I ached to carry more life. Raise more littles. Nurse more babies....

Keep Reading

Cowgirls Don’t Cry Unless the Horse They Loved Is Gone

In: Grief, Kids, Loss

Little girls Toy Story Jessie costume, color photo

The knee of my pants is wet and dirty. My yellow ring lays by the sink—it’s been my favorite ring for months. I bought it to match Bigfoot’s halter and the sunflowers by his pasture. Bigfoot is my daughter’s pony, and I loved him the most. The afternoon is so sunny. His hooves make the same calming rhythm I’ve come to love as I walk him out back. A strong wind blows through the barn. A stall labeled “Bigfoot,” adorned with a sunflower, hangs open and I feel sick. I kneel down by his side as he munches the grass....

Keep Reading

Surprise Baby Number Two: Is It Too Soon?

Faith

Surprise Baby Number Two: Is It Too Soon?

Why the Summer of Pokémon Go Might Be a Great Thing For Our Kids

Kids

We Don’t Get to Decide When We Play Our Last Game

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Her View Shop

Abigail Vetick

Sharing Our Grief Frees Our Hearts

As Long as It Beats, a Grieving Heart Lives with the Pain of Loss

6 Things You Can Do Now to Help Kids Remember Their Grandparents

I’m Not Ready for Life Without My Mom

Since She Left

I Carried You for Just 17 Weeks but I’ll Hold You in My Heart Forever

To the Woman Longing to Become a Mother

I Was There to Walk My Mother to Heaven

To the Loss Mom Whose Tears Keep Her Company Tonight

Cowgirls Don’t Cry Unless the Horse They Loved Is Gone

free email bonus

5 Ways to Connect with Your Kids

We Don’t Get to Decide When We Play Our Last Game

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Her View Shop

Sharing Our Grief Frees Our Hearts

As Long as It Beats, a Grieving Heart Lives with the Pain of Loss

6 Things You Can Do Now to Help Kids Remember Their Grandparents

I’m Not Ready for Life Without My Mom

Since She Left

I Carried You for Just 17 Weeks but I’ll Hold You in My Heart Forever

To the Woman Longing to Become a Mother

I Was There to Walk My Mother to Heaven

To the Loss Mom Whose Tears Keep Her Company Tonight

Cowgirls Don’t Cry Unless the Horse They Loved Is Gone

Previous Post

Next Post

You May Also Like

5 Ways to Connect with Your Kids