I went to the Ravens verses Saints game this weekend and it was my first NFL experience. I have to say, that even though I have attended my fair share of college games, not much compared to this site. The stadium was huge and the tailgating was everywhere. I have loved watching the Ravens play over the last several years and watching Ray Lewis introduced is just electrifying. He is one of my favorite all time players and he continues to get the job done. OK, now football aside, I did not get to meet Ray Lewis, another day…
Before the game, Daniel and I were scheduled to meet some of his friends for tailgating. However, when we showed up in the sea of people, his buddy was impossible to find. We walked around one lot for around an hour before we realized it was a lost cause and we may have missed out on our tailgating. We were forced with a decision. One, keep walking and pray for luck. Two, give up and start looking for tickets. Or three, find a friendly face and make some new friends. For those of you that know either of us, it was an easy choice and we chose option three.
It’s rare that people will actually tow in a UHaul for tailgating, but that seemed like the best place to start. Daniel walked up to the guy and explained our situation and before Daniel could finish his speech, Joey invited us in. Joey and his wife are about eight months pregnant, so immediately he and Daniel had some common ground. As we talked, we were able to just see Joey’s hospitable heart. This guy just had an abundance and was proud that he could share with all of these people.
With it being a tailgating event and all that surrounds football, it was hard to get into a serious conversation. But he got me thinking. How tightly do I hold onto my stuff? How often do I intentionally make more than needed to just be a blessing? How often do I stop someone in mid-sentence and shove burger in their face? OK, maybe we should hold off on the last one, but how much more hospitable can we be? After all, one of the fastest ways to someone’s heart is their stomach, and shared meals are always much more meaningful.
