Was a Miner...

My niece, a bright eyed red-head with a wide, wide smile, came to my house the other day. She came into the house, with shoes that clip-clopped as loudly as grown-up high-heeled shoes, and gracefully walked in front of all of her uncles and aunts (on her father's side) and showed off her bedazzled shoes... and her glittery 49ers shirt. A two year old, whose glamorous style was obviously taken from her mother's side, said not a word as she displayed her support for her favorite team. She said not a single hello to any person until she reminded each of us who had won the game on Sunday... and who was going to the Super Bowl.

My nephew, a four year old maverick of industry... the industry of catastrophe, has managed to sport 49ers' gear every time I have seen him since football started this year (except for the days that the World Series was under way, at which point he showed off his Posey Jersey). He wears a junior jersey of his favorite player, the amazing Michael Crabtree. Having been told one day that he was going to play baseball, he began sobbing and informing his mother that he wanted to play football.

Those were my brother's children.

My sister's daughter, barely old enough to hold her head up, was at first frightened by the football game on the television, but soon became utterly engrossed in the game and wouldn't take her eyes off the screen. As my very small niece was passed from one person to another in the course of the gathering she simply stared wide eyed at the big football players on the screen... paying very little attention to all the people trying to get her to smile and make faces.

Many things change as generations pass. Genetics pass from one family member to the next and from one parent to a child even in mutations... but some things never change.

Who's got it better than us?