“The Rules of soccer are very simple: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does.”  Phillip Abraham Woosnam (1932-2013)

Italy and England kicked their way into the Euro Cup final yesterday. Just making it to the final is a HUGE achievement! This year’s tournament saw tense matches with overtimes, penalty kicks, and stellar soccer moments to savor.

So, it’s just a game. Soccer, or football (as most of the world calls it!) 22 players kickin’ it for 90 minutes.

“The thing about football… the important thing about football… is that it is not just about football.”  Terry Pratchett

Therein lies the rub. On the day, the best team wins. “Best” on the international stage does not necessarily mean highest ranked, or most professionally qualified, or having the best player in the world. Sure, that helps. But, not always.

Take for instance the Italian team. They did not even qualify in 2018 for the last World Cup – a humiliating disappointment not just for the team, but the whole country of Italy (where folks take their football seriously.)

But, after loads of hard work here they are 3 years later as the new Euro Cup champions.

Life can be like a football match. Sometimes we try (and try) to reach our goals, but miss. And, sometimes it’s not just one missed goal, but a whole match of mess-ups.

When we miss our goals and jumble our life grooves, do we give up?

We’ve got to put ourselves out there if we want to reach our goals. We can’t sit on the sidelines of our lives and expect to achieve …anything. We may want to quit. At those times good life grooves involve “hanging in there,” showing up each day, praying for the grace to meet each challenge as it comes.

Being faithful even when things seem impossible.

Getting help also helps. Like, we need each other. Football is a team sport – it takes good teamwork setting up a goal.

Sometimes we don’t see those around us, willing to assist our life grooves. Maybe we need to look around and have a go at things with help from others.

Developing good life grooves can be tough, especially when the going gets gritty. Courage helps. Like favorite author Terry Pratchett said, it’s not just about Football. How teams play, matters. How we choose to play our individual life grooves matters.

Yesterday both England and Italy played their hearts out into overtime, then penalty kicks. Although England led by one goal a good chunk of the game, Italy never gave up their relentless pursuit to the final moment…

Viva Italia!

grace, peace & Euro Cup life grooves

   Virginia