while simultaneously incorporating life lessons along the way. Coaching is a dream job, but alongside the sweet dreams are the pop-up nightmares that inevitably surface.

GRIDIRON GRACE took nearly two years to materialize in written form. I wrote the story from a wife’s point of view, although my involvement with my husband’s profession has been up close and personal. Our journey within the realm of Texas high school football and sports, with all its peaks and valleys and family trials, is missing a myriad of people, events, sorrows, and backstories. Every location we called home could have filled a book with its own.

Our family became part of and cherished each community where we relocated. Coaches in smaller communities typically move after a few years to level up in competition. Moving from the towns we adopted as our own involved heavy emotions, anxiety, and sadness. Restarting is difficult for a family, but ultimately, the GRIDIRON GRACE became evident in the extended family, which continued to grow from one place we were led to another. We have formed permanent bonds at every venue.

Notebooks full of news articles, boxes full of pictures, self-produced highlight videos, recorded sports interviews, player contributions, and 40 years of letters to my parents enabled me to stay true to the many stories, events, and dialogues throughout the book. The football scenarios were taken from the actual game films. I have also been blessed with better-than-average long-term memory. As I journeyed through memory lane, some stories stood out more than others, yet after I finished writing, I had to question myself about the stories I left out. Terry had influence over 2000 football players during his tenure, which limited me to the players I could highlight.

Terry’s influence did not stop after football, as he coached and oversaw other sports and has always been a big proponent of women’s athletics. In fact, Cinda Baer, the head girls track coach at Timberview, won state in 2009 and awarded Terry with one of their state championship rings for all the support he gave the coaches and the team.

GRIDIRON GRACE has something for everyone. It is a story grounded in the performance of teenagers surrounded by parents, teachers, coaches, administrators, families, the community, and God’s grace. It has been our calling—all of it, the good and bad, and all the rollercoaster rides in between. It hasn’t been easy or glamorous most of the time, but I could not imagine being part of anything else more exciting and rewarding.

A 2015 medical discovery spurred a desire to seriously consider putting our story down on paper. Many people asked us when we were going to write a book. A non-cancerous brain tumor that lurks around the middle of my brain in an inoperable location near my optic nerve made me reflect on that question. Many doctors were seen during this time, and the final advice I was given was to just go out and enjoy life. If the tumor grows, none of the outcomes are good. I quit taking the MRIs, and I asked many Christians I know to pray for no growth. I appreciate these prayer warriors and would welcome more, as I truly believe this is how I have been able to keep on going.

I have many updates on the players, coaches, and people in this book. Some are surprising, some are disappointing, but the majority have been successful in whatever profession they pursued. As a result, I decided to add a web page, gridirongracebook.com, to give the reader pictures, videos, and updates from each part of the book.

I hope you enjoy reading about our humble lives on the gridiron and draw some inspiration from the stories. It is evident, looking back, that many thresholds to the future were illuminated, and we are forever grateful we had the faith to walk through the right ones.