Wednesday April 23, 2014

Yesterday was a big day for Miss E.  After a few weeks of qualifying rounds and many cold days on the golf course, she earned a spot to compete in yesterday's meet.  Not just a spot, but a spot on the varsity.  We have a group of girls that will rotate between the bottom of the varsity and the top of the JV.  Yesterday, it was Erin's turn.

She was excited and nervous all day.  So was her mom.  Playing along side her teammate, Sara, and two girls from John Marshall, Erin handled herself well.  She hit a great drive off the first tee with everyone watching.  If you're going to be a golfer, being cool under pressure is a bonus!

E shot 51 on the front nine and 62 on the back for a 113.  Pretty dang good for her first 18 hole round carrying her bag and having to finish in the cold and the dark about 8:15 last night.

Her score was 5th best on the Mayo team and 8th out of 12 overall.  She's already determined to make her score "count" at some point this year.  (The lowest four scores for a team count in the team score.)  E missed that by 6 strokes yesterday, so she's not too far off.  And, she's already talking about things she can do better to bring her score down.  She is one determined kid.

OK, I know I'm going on and on about one little golf meet, but for me, it was more than that.  Erin is moving beyond Shannon in so many ways now, and it's going to be that way from here on out.  She's further along in school than Shannon ever was, and now she's reached a spot - competing for Mayo - which Shannon had only one brief opportunity to do.  Things are progressing now as they should in my child's life, and that is different for me.

Thank goodness Erin and I have an open and honest relationship.  We talked about Shannon and how she might have handled the ups and downs of 18 holes.  Let's just say that Shannon was a little more of a hot head than Erin, and that usually doesn't work so well when playing golf!

In so many ways, Erin's life carries more weight now for all three of us.  She knows it and accepts it.  We never want her to feel added pressure and we're doing our best to let her find her own way and be her own person.  But, the reality is that parents always compare their children's experiences to each other.  It's what parents do and it's a tricky proposition when one of the children dies at a young age.

In many ways, Erin is carrying on for all four of us.  She knows and accepts that, too.  She is an amazing kid, and it is fun to be having "normal" high school experiences this time around.

Over breakfast, Miss E got the news that she's in the varsity lineup again for tomorrow's meet in Winona.  She's pumped.  So is her mom.