I believe I gained a more thorough perspective on grief after completing my next section of Coming Back Stronger, by Drew Brees. In chapter fourteen, Brees writes about the New Orleans Saints preparation to become a championship winning team in the future. Brees details the preparation and adjustments he made during the 2007 and 2008 NFL seasons in order to take steps towards a Super Bowl championship. Unfortunately, Brees saw the 2007 season as a setback from their previous year. They started out extremely slow in the season, and could not recover to make the playoffs. They gained some sense in how to win consistently towards the end of the season, but they finished with a 7-9 record. Next, Brees describes the 2008 season, in which he incorporated a new chant for the team. He received the chant from the then new movie, 300. However, the 2009 season did not prove to be much better than 2008. Brees and the Saints had certain highs, such as his rematch with his old team, the San Diego Chargers. The Saints won this game but had a seesaw season and finished the year without making the playoffs.
In chapter fifteen, Brees describes his incredible experience he had with his wife Brittany with their first child. He was extremely excited to finally be able to have a kid after he could not have one when he was in transition from San Diego. He described all of the people who remained strong and helped make the pregnancy process much easier, including his wife Brittany. Brees also writes on to describe how they came up with the original name for their son, Baylen. Brees also writes about his new commitment he gained when he gained a son. He had another person to live for in his life. Brees describes how he wants his son to be anything he wants to be and he will do everything in his power to give the best opportunities for his son to succeed.
In addition, Brees writes on to describe the passing of his mother. He and his mother were never close throughout his life. However, in recent times, Brees and his wife were communicating to his mom about their new son, Baylen. Through this communication, Brees believed he was starting to make mends with his mom as she was looking forward to seeing their baby. However, Brees learned in a shocking way later in a practice that his mother had committed suicide. He did not understand the reason his mother would take her own life. After her death though, Brees became aware of the mental illnesses his mother struggled with through all of her life. He had difficulty overcoming his mother's death and also the means by which she died, but the supporting cast in his life helped him overcome this obstacle. At the end of the chapter, Brees states that he is amazed that a season that started on the heels of his mother's death ended on top of a mountain.
After I completed my reading, I feel that I have learned more about the topic of grief. I was truly surprised when I learned from my reading that Brees's mom died right before the 2009 Super Bowl season. Brees must have tremendous character and an excellent group of people supporting him in order to overcome the sadness of his mother's death. I cannot understand Brees's specific situation because his mother had mental illnesses. She never had a close relationship with Drew, and eventually she took her own life. I believe Brees situation with his mother is more difficult than many other deaths in the family because he was never close to his mother. In addition, his mother took her own life. Basically, I have learned in life that you cannot change the past. The past is permanent, but you can always live in the present and make changes for the future. I believe Brees is brilliant in the fact he always seems to learn from his mistakes and experiences. He truly believes that everything happens for a reason, and he gains insight and strength through all of his hardships. I believe Brees is a true role model in today's world due to his incredible faith and attitude.
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