“Sure as God made green apples...”

My wife has said that I am “faithful to a fault”. She has seen me scorned by so-called friends that I used to let in to an Inner-Circle that had gotten much too big. Seen me burned by girlfriends of the distant past. Michele lovingly compares me to our dog, Raider - an attention seeking hound that will, without fail, always come running to your side when you need him the most.

I am loyal.

My best friend can see it when I fish. I am diligent and persistent. It's not Blind Faith though, more like the Little Engine that Could – “I think I can. I think I can.”

Out of high school, I joined the United States Marine Corps, an organization who's Latin motto is Semper Fidelis - “Always Faithful”. These words are more than just some catchy phrase to have tattooed on your arm. It's a belief. No matter the clime or place, you can count on your Marine brothers. This is who we are. To this day, I'm the guy that other dude's should call if it ever goes to a back alley brawl. Marine or not, if I've ever called you a friend, I'll be there for you.

It's not a fault. It's actually a positive character trait and a learned behavior.

This “learned behavior” of believing and trusting and loving so unconditionally has been woven in to the make-up of our family for generations. The Fox Family can thank Ellen for that. Great-Grandma Fox was the matriarch of our clan. To say she was the glue that held us all together might not do her justice. Grandma Fox made every one of us feel like we were her favorite. First generation, second generation, it didn't matter...each cousin, aunt or uncle has a story of their own, very close, personal, connection to the Greatest CUBS fan any of us have ever known.

Ellen Fox lived life well. She enjoyed good martinis and fishing walleyes on Lake of the Woods - never at the same time. She loved to play just about every card game she ever tried and would whip even the youngest of adversaries. No mercy – she loved to win. Grandma Fox was the all-time SkipBo champion amongst us. Our family still plays and it's always in her honor.

My grandmother was a classy lady. I'm not sure I ever saw her without perfectly coifed hair. She wore fabulous jewelry and always seemed dressed to the nines for every occasion. Even when chasing walleyes, she'd wear slacks, a nice sweater, a perfectly matching visor to deflect the suns rays off of our favorite lake, always deferring to me to bait her hook.

Oh Grandma was as opinionated as they come. I remember her once saying, “I have the two dumbest grandsons in the world.” Why, you ask? Well, Stutzman was married in the Virgin Islands in June and yours truly was married in Minnesota in December and there she was at both ceremonies, loving each of us meatheads as if we were her favorite.

Leading by example, Grandma Fox taught us about commitment and love. Throughout my childhood, with a CUBS game on the TV, I fondly recall sitting with Grandma on the davenport. Her love for the Chicago Cubs was only surpassed by her love for her family. Family photos are scattered across generations with Grandma proudly flanked by scores of grandchildren decorated in all manners of Cubs apparel. It wasn't until last night that I finally put it all together. Through her love of baseball and family, Grandma Fox passed on great lessons in faithfulness and devotion.

WGN was one of the first cable channels to reach the masses. “The Bozo Show” filled every home, as did Bob Barker and the “Price is Right”. With WGN and Harry Caray calling the play, our beloved Cubbies racked up fans from Coast to Coast. As American as apple pie, it became common place for the casual sports fan to identify with the Cubs unpromising outcomes. Year by year it would have been easy to jump ship and root for their cross-town rivals, the White Sox. With Grandma Fox and the rest of us Cubs faithful, that was never an option.

For us “diehards”, steadfast loyalty is engrained in who we are.

Last night, Game #7 of the 2016 World Series was more than a baseball game between two hapless teams. As Cubs fans, it was the culmination of multiple lifetimes of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Unfortunately, over time, the Loveable Losers have provided us with much more of the latter.

In ten, long, innings this instant Fall Classic changed that forever.

Baseball is the fabric that binds us.

Although hundreds and in some cases, thousands of miles separate us, Facebook connected my family on the night of Wednesday, November 2^nd, 2016. Status updates from loved ones flashed across the screen of my computer while the game played out on TV in front of me. My own wife and children had long gone to bed but those of us once clad in Cubbie blue by our Grandmother held to the belief that this would be the night we've all waited for.

In route to an 8-7 extra-innings win, the Chicago Cubs took us along our expected roller coaster of emotions. Thanks to a leadoff home-run, the good guys jumped out to an early lead and relieved some pressure from the get go. To their credit, the Cleveland Indians fought their way back from an 8^th inning 6-3 deficit. With one out left in the bottom of that inning, the game was tied by a home-run for the bad guys. Not an honest Cubs fan on the planet could look him or herself in the mirror and say that they were not thinking that it was happening all over again. That something we had wanted for so long was slowly slipping away from us. Conditioned by years of allegiance, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. But the bullpen held, the defense was solid and although it was late in to the night, a 17 minute rain delay felt like a God send.

Across Chicago-land and across America, present day Cubs faithful must have felt that Heaven's cheering section was leaning heavily in favor of this championship drought coming to an end. Grandma and Grandpa Fox, along side Ron Santo, Ernie Banks and Harry Caray, were our “Angels in the Outfield”.

Our Cubbies came out re-focused to start the 10^th.

With runners on, the Cubs pulled ahead on a double to left field by the series MVP. One run scored and another followed on the next base hit. Shortly after, two pitchers split duties in the bottom half of the inning and the rest, as they say, is history.

108 years of it.

Nearing midnight and with my dogs looking at me as if I'd lost my mind, I fell to my knees in front of a TV showing a bunch of grown men jumping and celebrating like school boys. Tears leaked from my eyes and I could think of only one person.

I love you, Grandma Fox. This one's for you.

“And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces.” - James Earl Jones in “Field of Dreams”

“All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.

Great is Thy faithfulness – Lord unto me”