I had a Shannon dream last night. That doesn't happen to me very often, but I was packing up her hockey bag, waiting for her to come home so we could head to her game. I had Shannon on my mind a lot yesterday.
I've been working on a speech and next week I will speak to 600 people at the St. Jude Fall Festival of Hope up in Minneapolis. It's the biggest fundraiser for St. Jude in Minnesota and we are fortunate that they are honoring Shannon and donating a copy of Determined to Matter to each attendee. It's going to be a great night.
While I was writing that speech yesterday, I was also putting together slides - Shannon's smile the day we all wore our "I heart Shannon" shirts, Shannon's determination when she was on the ice, skating with the Rebels, etc. These images can still evoke emotions for me even though I've seen them hundreds of times now. So, it's no wonder Shannon crept into my subconscious last night. It was nice to have a visit from her...
Yesterday, I did something I haven't done in nine months. I taught a tennis class! I did have to dig deep in my dresser drawers to find my uniform... It was actually very fun to be out there with the kids again and I will continue to do that on Monday afternoons through the fall.
Erin's school year is off to a great start. She likes her teachers, she has friends in her classes, and she is loving her volleyball team.
The highlight this past weekend was a trip to St. Paul to see the Taylor Swift concert. Erin's buddy, Lexie, was along, too and the girls had a great time screaming and singing along. Even this old lady knew some of the words. Taylor's favorite subject in her songwriting is love - and loss.
My current favorite TSwift song is the one she opened the concert with, State of Grace:
I'm walking fast through the traffic lights
Busy streets and busy lives
And all we know
Is touch and go
We are alone with our changing minds
We fall in love 'til it hurts or bleeds or fades in time
And I never saw you coming
And I'll never be the same
