the cheerleader

He was a football player and she was a cheerleader. High school years were marvelous for them. They shared moments both on and off the field, on and off the bus. When he went away to college, she went, too. No longer a cheerleader on the field, she concentrated on grades and getting a degree, but still managed to be at every game. Each time he suffered a crushing tackle, her heart stopped, and didn't beat again until he got up and walked back to the huddle. Each time he scored a touchdown she felt her heart soar and her screams of joy could be heard in the next county. He was her heart, her hero, her everything, and she was his cheerleader.

Graduation came, they found jobs, he in telecom, she in quality. Six months later they walked down the aisle and pledged their love, saying vows in front of God and family, and started their life together as husband and wife. Later, when babies blessed their union, she gave up her job and stayed home to raise them. Her family became her reason to cheer, and she did it every day, in every way.

When the children brought home those crazy little off-kilter ashtrays from school she proudly displayed them on the bookcase in the den. Every handmade Christmas decoration was lovingly hung on the tree, and then wrapped in tissue and saved each year. The refrigerator door was papered with tests marked 'A'. She was still a cheerleader at heart, she just had a smaller audience.

Each time husband got a promotion, she fixed a special dinner. When times got hard and the job got harder, she suffered in sympathetic silence as he wondered at his choices, but rubbed his back and smoothed his temples and told him how much she believed in him, that anything he did was fine with her. For he was still her hero and she was still a cheerleader at heart,

The children entered high school, but college tuition increased every year, and the economy was not looking all that great, so she went back to work. The concrete floors played havoc with her feet and knees, but she never said anything, just went about her business and cheered at every game, every gymnastic event, every track meet. Hubby's jobs came and went, but she cheered all his pursuits.

And then came his heart attack. Sitting at his bedside in ICU, she never cried, just cheered for his recovery with her smiles. Rehab was tough for him, but not as bad as the alternative. Going to work each day and coming home to fix dinner, she listened to him recount the details of each session and cheered each accomplishment. She learned to manage her time so she could do the shopping on her way home from work, laundry, housework and mowing the yard on Saturday. And when he was ready, she drove them to Sunday School. Because recovery is a multi-faceted endeavor, and getting him out of the house for some fun was as important as physical therapy. When he stood at the podium in front of the class and told everyone he was glad to be back, hers was the biggest smile in the room. Because he was still her hero and she was still a cheerleader at heart.

But rehab couldn't fix everything, and he couldn't go back to work. Paperwork for disability claims was a nightmare, but she kept at it until it was done. And kept on going to work every day. Despite the pain in her knees that seemed almost more than she could bear at times. Because she was a cheerleader at heart.

And so they settled into a routine. He would do the minor housekeeping chores while she was at work. She cheered him on, said thank you for every one, and then quietly did the heavy lifting on the weekends.

The children graduated from college, but even with the decreased financial outgo, she kept on going to work. Because while he was still her hero and she was still a cheerleader, she was also realistic enough to know that it was her job to prepare for their future.

She got laid off when her company went under. But her cheerleader spirit stood her in good stead, and she quickly found another job. Not in her chosen field, but still with concrete floors. Her pain increased, but she never said a word, just kept on keeping on.

Until the day she woke, and showered, and dressed, but discovered that the pain was so great she could not bend her knees to tie her shoes.

She cried.

He found her there, in the bedroom chair. Hearing her explanation, he wiped her tears, and kneeling at her feet, tied the laces on her sneakers. She apologized for no longer being able to do everything by herself.

But as he sat on the floor and cradled her foot tenderly in his huge hands, he looked up at her with the biggest smile and said, "For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live." Then he took a small piece of much-folded time-stained paper from his wallet, and said, "Your Dad gave me this the day you and I wed. He said the only promise he wanted from me was that I should read it every day and take it to heart. And I have. And now I want to share it with you.” And he began to read to her, in his once big voice now made gentle through years and circumstance.

"When God created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, He saw that it was not good for man to live alone. So God prepared a helper and a companion for man - woman. In this act of creation, God didn't take the woman from man's head, lest she should try to rule over him, not from his feet, lest he should trample on her, but from his side, that she should be equal with him, and from close to his heart, that he should love, cherish, and honor her. God presented woman to man that each might be the other's helper and companion. Marriage is God's gift to deliver us from our isolation and loneliness. It is our opportunity to give each other the gifts of God and to receive the gifts of God from each other. Marriage is a commitment to life - to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal, a physical and emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other's best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child, but this is as it should be. Marriage is a promise made in the hearts of two people who love, a potential that takes a lifetime to fulfill."

He put the paper on the floor, and with tears running down his big loving face said, "There is no one in life I admire more than you. I haven't always told you so but I know your spirit is what has kept us going through the years. You have always been my heart, my hero. Now let me be your cheerleader, too."