"Lord, is this real?" Sometimes the veil between heaven and earth is thinner than we think

I may forget the names of my children.

I may even forget my wife’s name.

But I’ll never forget the events of the evening of February 3rd, 2008.

It was Super Bowl Sunday, the final minute ticking away. After years of praying and losing and praying… and losing, it looked like my beloved Giants were about to submit again—to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

But there was hope.

This year my friends insisted I root for the Patriots. And there was good reason: since forever, every team I’ve ever supported has gone down in flames. Yet another reason I’m such a “huge” football fan.

But I’m a good sport.

So I swallowed my pride and threw myself fully into my new identity as a die-hard Bostonian. I cheered for the Patriots with theatrical passion, in everyone’s face with every Brady success, rubbing noses in every Giants failure. I’d shout “GO PATRIOTS!!” anytime the room went quiet, which wasn’t often, because this was a full-blown Super Bowl party packed with rabid fans.

Like me.

Continued below.