At least my mother still loves me

... "At least my mother still loves me"

this is the text message I received from a fellow Illini alum after the end of the final championship game. and this about sums up the empty feeling one has after following every single win, great shot, great comeback, team injury, team triumph, coaches personal struggles, etc... for 6 months.

It's like an amazing (and amazingly long) movie that has an unscripted abrupt ending and you are left with just a complete empty feeling that can't be described.... Over time you become personally involved in the success of your team and when a team is 37-1, you expect them to win...

...and when it was over, they didn't win and you realize there is nothing you can do about it, you just feel empty to the point that the fact that your mother still loves you is about the only thing that gives you consolation.

It's true.

~C