World Cup Soccer

Gooooaaaaaaalllllll!!! Are you watching the World Cup? I'm catching as many games as I can. Definitely following the Argentine team, the USA for obvious reasons, and South Korea where my kids were born and became interested in their team when I was there in 2001 and watched them prepare to host the 2002 games.

I think I watch mostly, because nothing reminds me more of my dad than the world cup. He was a soccer fanatic. If he could have afforded it, he would have been one of the crazy fans in the audience covered in the Argentine flag with his face painted in blue and white. He loved, loved, loved watching the World Cup. He would go to the Argentine club and watch the games with other Argentines on a big screen and come home talking about how great it had been. He would record the games on VHS tapes - in fact, the reason we bought our first VCR was so that he could record world cup games in 1978 when the World Cup was played in Argentina.

My dad died quiet a few years ago, but when I watch the Argentine players' handsomely intense faces, I remember my dad cheering and shouting and it makes me happy.

Yesterday, Argentina played South Korea at 4am California time. I taped it and my husband and daughter watched it with me (my son only cared about the Lakers so he was in his room listening to the game on the radio - yay Lakers!). I thought it was adorably cute that my daughter was cheering for South Korea. I think my dad would have thought it was cool too. World Cup time seems like a time to cheer for your roots. Even many generation Americans cheer for Germany or England or where ever their ancestors came from.

Besides, it's fun!

Do you have rituals or events or times that you enjoy, because they remind you of someone special or a happy time in your life? I hope so. I think we sort of need these anchors in life that repeat every so often and remind us of who we are and the people we love.

Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the Father's out there!

Julia