I don't care for football.  There is something about two teams trying to tackle one another for control that does not appeal to me.  As a result except for an occasional few minutes of the Superbowl in between food and conversation or the occasional game in the background while a holiday meal is prepared, I have not watched a game with any interest whatsoever...until last Saturday. 

After a lazy Saturday morning at home, the hubby and I headed down to spend the day with the in-laws in Gilroy.  I find great comfort in the traditions that have been established surrounding family with the Smasham Clan (Smiths and Bashams).  As the sun begins to set, the men gather for their traditional cigar circle where they solve life's problems while enjoying a cigar or two as they wait for the coals to reach the optimal temperature for the perfect grilled entree.    Eventually the entire family will gather to enjoy the fruits of their labor and a bottle of vino or two.  Then, if there is an important football game that night the men will sit in front of the big screen TV and enjoy cheering for their favorite team while the ladies enjoy tea and conversation in another room.  However, things went a little differently last Saturday...Stanford was playing USC.

My father-in-law is a huge USC fan and pledges to continue this love and legacy to future generations.  My grandfather-in-law, Jan decided that he was going to cheer for Stanford.  Somehow the entire family...Tom, Chris, and Jason were in town and Bryan and Megan came over to join in the festivities...ended up watching the game during the 4th quarter because it looked as though USC might beat the undefeated Stanford with only minutes to go before the end of the game.  However, the game ended up going into overtime as Stanford scored another touchdown with only seconds remaining and the entire family was invested in seeing the result of this game.

I was unaware of the fact that there can be multiple overtimes in football until this game.  We watched as it went from the first overtime, to the second, and finally the third.  Then to the joy of my grandfather-in-law and the despair of the rest of us who were cheering for USC, Stanford ended up winning the game.  It was a great game...it was a great day...it would be the last great day that Jan would end up having as he went to be with his Savior on Monday night. 

Jan was diagnosed with prostate cancer approximately 12 years ago.  He was not a man to give up without a fight, and fight he did.  Every time that it seemed as though the cancer was going to take him home, he went into overtime...not just one..but a second...and then a third.  Jan was not one to give up without a fight and he fought as long and as hard as he could to remain with his family for as long as possible.  He fought to celebrate his 50th Wedding Anniversary and see his first great grandson come into the world.  He fought to cruise around the globe and make memories with family and to make sure that his beloved wife of over 56 years would be looked after when he was gone.  Jan was one of the most loving people that I have ever known and I was blessed to have him in my life.  I know that much of the love and compassion that my husband has comes from his legacy and as a result of that I know that he will live on even though he is no longer on this earth.  Jan is now in His Father's arms and there is no more pain and no more tears. 

He will be remembered when the men in the family prepare the grill and smoke a cigar...or two.  He will be remembered when a football game brings the family together.  He will be remembered on long walks on the levy in Gilroy.  He will be remembered when we gather at Alan and Donna's house to go for a swim on a hot summer day as the man who raced his grandson across the pool just months before he would take his last breath.  He will be remembered as a man who loved people because God first loved him.  He will be remembered as the man who never gave up and fought for not one, not two, but three overtimes and even in death ended up a winner because of the legacy that he is leaving behind...a legacy which reminds us that God's grace is sufficient in any circumstance and that our lives are not our own, but we are to live and love because Christ first loved us. 

In Memory of Jan Basham