These Days: A Tribute to My Husband

Wellllll you can’t ask for a better tribute than the voice of Michael W. Smith on a souvenir song!  :-o

My husband, Craig, was blessed to have a 17-year career in the NFL. When he announced his retirement in 2009, I knew that I wanted to do something special for him...not only to celebrate this milestone in his life, but also to serve as a “life souvenir” for our young children, to one day look back on when they’re older.

I began a secret, 8-month covert operation: A process of gathering photos, film footage, and stories from Craig’s friends, family members and teammates. My “goal” (no ‘punt’ intended – ha, ha) was to encapsulate Craig’s football days from high school to college, through his NFL years with the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans. I co-wrote three songs for recording on a video compilation, enlisting the help of Brian Seeliger (Seesports Media) to co-produce the video.  This surprise gift for Craig was made extra special when one of the songs I co-wrote was sung by Michael W. Smith.

The surprise “video reveal” was shared at a gathering with friends and family, former teammates and coaches. I’ll never forget the tears that welled up in Craig’s eyes as he watched the video on the screen, with our young daughter in his lap. The song Michael is singing in this video, “These Days”, still brings a tear to his eye to this day when he hears it.  I'm so glad our family has the memories of THESE DAYS to look back on.