My son was not sure he wanted to come back for his senior year as the football team’s quarterback.  Because a new head coach had taken over the team, he felt that learning a whole new system for just one year may not be worth it.  I, among many others, talked to him about it.  Fearing he would regret not returning and knowing that he was the only quarterback the team really had, I encouraged him to finish this last year even though I wasn’t particularly fond of him playing.  He went back, and under the new system, he really excelled.  He set new school records and led the region in a couple of categories.  Unfortunately, the team as a whole had not completely embraced the new system yet and struggled in the region games.   Three weeks before the end of the season, the coach benched the seniors, ready to start on building the next year’s team.  It was painful for all of the boys, but more so because the coach really didn’t take the time to explain why he had made this choice.  In fact, he publically tried to make the senior class his scapegoat as for why the team hadn’t been more successful.  The last game of the year rolled around, and it was Senior Night.  My son was very excited because in addition to being honored as a senior, the coach had told him he was going to play.  I saw him as he shook my son’s hand, looked him straight in the eye, and said, “You have a great game tonight.”  Well, the coach put him in, let him play one series, and pulled him.  Halftime came and went and still he did not put him back in.  As my son realized somewhere in the final quarter that his career was over, he was overcome with emotion.  His teammates surrounded him, hugging him, and encouraging him.  Heartbroken, I sat in the stands and watched.  My son was wronged that night, and most people knew that.  The coach, however, never acknowledged anything to him.  A few nights later he told me, “Mama, I still hurt.  He did me wrong.  I can’t hold a grudge, though; I have to forgive him.”  Because it was the right thing to do and because my son did it first, I had to forgive him, too; however, it was among the hardest things I have had to do.