Rally sons of Notre Dame:
Sing her glory and sound her fame,
Raise her Gold and Blue
And cheer with voices true:
Rah, rah, for Notre Dame
We will fight in ev-ry game,
Strong of heart and true to her name
We will ne'er forget her
And will cheer her ever
Loyal to Notre Dame

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to victory.

The beauty about this fight song is whether or not you are a Notre Dame fan, the music and the cadence of this fight song is felt just about everywhere when it is played. My uncle emailed us towards the end of this week to share a video that had been made about my grandfather and his football career, his inspiration for playing, his passion and most importantly the life lessons he learned a long the way. 

And within the first minute of the video I became teary eyed because here you have a man filled with wisdom, a father, a grandfather, a friend, a coach, a player, a mentor recounting what I know were some of the most important and prolific days of his life. Not only that, but if you have ever seen the movie Rudy, you know the unebelievable soundtrack played throughout and this was at the start of the video. 

From the time I was a young child, it was incredibly evident that football was more than a game for my grandfather. Because as he mentioned in the video, he didn't do it for money or fame and he certainly was not overtaken by jealousy when certain players played some games and not others. For my grandfather, football in high school and at Notre Dame was about the game of life. And though I wasn't alive back then, the way he talks about his memories and his coaching days-well you can just tell that he understood the importance of life and sacrifice, friendship and community on a field playing in a stadium that he just absolutely adored.

And those who look at their experiences as a game of life and hope rather than fame or fortune-well..they have quite literally figured out the beauty of what we call life and our time here on earth, our purpose and our unique talents that create those memories. 

For all the family members who watched this video-what a beautiful example we have had for a large part of our lives that the game of life is about the heart and the drive and the warmth grandpa felt every day he dressed for a game, every day he gave advice to another official, every day he laughed and joked around with another player and every day he showed up to practice to be a better player-yes but more importantly a better person than he was the day before yesterday and the day before that. 

Football for my grandfather was how he gave back to the world and how he showed that whimsical love that multiplies every single time he watches a game or every time he called his buddies to talk about a play or every time he stepped out onto the grass to give it his all. A few years back I found myself by some small miracle in the marching band at Pitt traveling to Notre Dame for a game. And stepping onto the same field he stepped on all those years ago-that may have been the greatest adrenaline rush I have ever felt. His presence was felt the entire game as it rippled around the stadium (as all whimsical moments do.)

May you smile at whatever you were meant to do and may you always find passion and joy in whatever that special something may entail. Because after all, we were put here on this earth to play the game of life with wisdom and heart and kindness and love as we step onto that grassy field each and every day trying to do our very best.

Believe me, you don't need to see this video about football to realize that some people play the game of life in such a profound way that their spirit will continue to live on forever.So the next time you wake up and put on your cleats and your helmet as you prepare for a new day, know that the Notre Dame Victory march is sounding its chorus wherever you may go and grandpa is undoubtedly smiling too. Because you are gearing up for another beautiful game of life. And those lessons you learn-they will stay with you forever.