Baylor Bears Rise Up

I fell in love with Baylor as a little girl. On the journeys from our home in South Texas to Kerens, the sleepy East Texas town where my daddy grew up, we always made a stop in Waco to visit. We went often to Homecoming football games and pep rallies. We walked along the creek outside the Student Union Building, and visited the live bears in the "Bear Pit" and sat through hours and hours of Pigskin and Sing in Waco Hall.

And everywhere we went, my parents reminisced. Baylor campus was the setting of so many thrilling stories- my parents initial meeting, subsequent dates, uncles getting into adventure, cousins being born and living in small trailers near campus while their daddies went to law school and med school. It was the site of so many adventures, so much laughter and growth and learning. It was the place where my parents became who they are. Walking through it as little girl was like walking through a fairy tale come to life.

And then one day, that little girl grew up, and suddenly it was my turn to go to Baylor. I stood on the steps of Collins dormitory, where my parents first met all those years ago, and kissed them both goodbye to set off on my own adventures. And I filled four years there with even more laughter and growth and learning. Baylor was the place where I really became who I am. Graduation day came and went, and now, almost seven years later, I am still in Waco, still in love with Baylor.

I'll never forget standing next to my parents my freshman year at the Homecoming bonfire and realizing that for all the times I'd done this before, it had never been my Homecoming, had never been my Baylor. Suddenly it was. When it was time to sing That Good Ole Baylor Line, Mom turned to Daddy and said, "Get your hand up." He smiled down at her and I heard him say, "My heart's up." Mine was too. And still is, every time I sing the song, every time we do a "Sic 'Em Bears", every time the Bears score a touchdown. This year especially, seeing Griffin back on the field, seeing that he's still got it- it's exciting! It makes my heart soar.

I've been a Baylor fan as long as I can remember, and I will continue to be my whole life. But the life of a Baylor fan is not exactly easy. I'm not always sure what it is, that keeps Baylor fans going. That keeps us so loyal, keeps us coming back for more. But I know that at the beginning of any football season, if you ask us  what we think about the coming year, we'll tell you we're optimistic. Sometimes we'll say cautiously optimistic, and sometimes we're more cautious that others. But we are always optimistic. Maybe it's because of all that Baylor has given us. Maybe it's because we love Baylor so much that we just can't help it. And maybe it's because we know, we just know, that one of these years, the Baylor Bears are gonna rise up.

I'm optimistic this is going to be the year.