Loyalty

Growing up, I was always a big fan of the fall.

The fall for me was the time when my dad and I would bond over the ups and downs of cheering for the Chicago Bears.

My love for the Bears was inherited. Before I knew what life was all about, I had a poster of the late and great Walter Payton on the wall over my bed and a cozy Bears hat, handmade by my grandmother, on my head.

My dad would tell me stories of how my first birthday was celebrated with a victory in the SuperBowl by the best team in NFL history. From that point on, my love for the Bears continued to grow.

Through my love for the Bears, my love for my dad grew also.

Every Sunday was like a mini-holiday of my dad and I watching Bears football. Even as a little kid, I remember staying at home to watch football despite my mom wanting me to go to church.

My mom knew it was a waste of time to even try to get us to go instead of watching the Bears’ game. We knew our priorities.

Many of the Sundays spent together were life lessons that as a kid I never thought much of, but as I’ve gotten older they have stuck with me. One thing that comes to mind now is my dad telling my sister and I that there are two words you will hear in life more than any other words; ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ He said we would hear ‘no’ a lot more than ‘yes’ and that we have to learn how to deal with it.

Another lesson I learned on fall Sundays was that family and faith are more important than football.

My dad became a minister, and that was the end of early Sunday Bears football. But that did not take away from our love for the Bears.

We found ways to keep track of our team whenever the Bears were not playing a late game. Sometimes, we would find a way to leave church early in time to catch the fourth quarter, or we could always catch highlights.

In those days, the Bears often lost, but the fact that my dad was as into it as I was made it cool no matter how many times we got crushed.

Nine years ago today, we laid my dad to rest. He was 54. I was 15 at the time, and it was devastating.

Over the course of the last nine years it has been rough for me without my dad around. But one thing that every fall and every Sunday brings back warm memories of him is Bears’ football.

As the season goes on and people cheer for their teams for various reasons, my loyalty will always rest with the Chicago Bears, because I will always love my Dad. I will always love you, Dino, and I hope I am making you proud.