The year was 1964. The place was Chicago. A man I worked with had acquired a couple of all leather, NFL regulation, 1963 Chicago Bears inscribed footballs and was selling them at a real good price. My first son was on the way. I bought the football, as my son's “coming home from the hospital” gift, and it was truly special.

Several years later, young Tom was rummaging around in the garage when he came across the all leather, NFL regulation, 1963 Chicago Bears inscribed football. He asked if he could play with it. With as much logic as I felt he could understand, I explained to him that he was still a bit too young to play carefully with such a special ball. We had the same conversation several more times in the next few months and soon the requests faded away.

The next fall, after watching a football game on television, Tom asked, “Dad, remember that football you have in the garage? Can I use it to play with the guys now?”

Eyes rolling up in my head, I replied, “Tom, you don't understand. You just don't go out and casually throw around an all leather, NFL regulation, 1963 Chicago bears inscribed football. I told you before; it's special.” Eventually Tom stopped asking altogether. But he did remember, and a few years later he told his younger brother, Dave, about that special football kept somewhere in the garage. Dave came to me one day and asked if he could take that special football and throw it around for a while. It seemed like I'd been through this before, but I patiently explained, once again, that you don't just go out and throw around an all leather, NFL regulation, 1963 Chicago Bears inscribed football.    

But it wasn't special anymore.    

I stood alone in the garage. The boys had long since moved away from home, and suddenly I realized that the football had never been so special at all. Children playing with it when it was their time to play is what would have made it special. I had blown those precious, present moments that can never be reclaimed, and I had saved a football. For what?    

I took the football across the street and gave it to a family with young kids. A couple of hours later I looked out the window. They were throwing, catching, kicking and letting skid across the cement my all leather, NFL regulation, 1963 Chicago Bears inscribed football.

Now it was special!