The Navarros represent!

I still had Al a year ago. A year ago I would have been bringing Al a few shrimp and maybe a deviled egg or two, trying to get rid of a few of the Super Bowl leftovers. A year and a day. That’s the last time my family was together outside of the hospital.

Al loved sports and Super Bowl Sunday? Well, that’s a sports lover’s perfect Sunday. For about as long as I can remember we’ve had Super Bowl watching parties. As the years have gone by and people tend to branch off and do their own thing, our party became more about family with a couple of friends dropping in for a bit to hang out for a while.

Al was diagnosed shortly before Super Bowl last year and we all thought there was lots of time. Time for more parties, more vacations, more Christmases, just more. As families do, we all get busy and our lives get complicated. It was unclear whether all my kids would be able to come to the house for the game. But it was my youngest, my Lesley, who said what none of us wanted to think. That this might be the last time we are able to watch the Super Bowl with Al. I don’t know why she said that. After all, he had just barely been diagnosed and we were told his disease was at a mid-level severity. Perhaps something deep inside of Lesley was telling her that we only had a little time left.

So we spent that Sunday together here at the house. There was too much food, lots of yelling and cheering, lots of laughter; all the signs of a family enjoying a favorite pastime together. And that little voice Lesley heard was right. It was the last Super Bowl we’d ever enjoy together as a complete family.

This year game day was a little bittersweet. Super Bowl Sunday has always been a day of fun, food and football but we’d be doing it without Al. I kept busy in the morning by cleaning and cooking and tried not to let myself get down. My daughter Alison on the other hand, was having a difficult time at her house. She was missing her dad and trying to change her mood while she prepared the snacks she’d be bringing to the potluck. She put on her iPod and hit shuffle. A wide variety of songs played when suddenly her iPod changed, seemingly on its own. It went from Shuffle to Dad’s Playlist, a collection of Al’s favorites and songs that reminded Alison of her dad. That can only be looked at as a message from Al to Alison. A message to enjoy the day that has always represented a good time for the Navarros and a message that he’s still with us. And well, to enjoy a bowl of his special recipe Texas Chili that Marshall had perfected and prepared for game day.

And true to form, every single one of us gathered in his living room, watching his big TV and every single one of us were wearing Raiders jerseys & t-shirts. Funny how that just happens.....the Navarros represent!