I woke up this morning thinking not about Shannon, but about my own mother. Today is her first Mother's Day since her own mom passed away. I wonder if it feels different for her - sadder, more emotional. I know she's at peace with it, but it's still a "first" for her.
You may be wondering why don't I just pick up the phone and ask her how she's doing? Well, she's in the middle of a 26 day adventure, cruising across Europe. Mom and Dad are on a ship that's taken them to Portugal, England, France, The Netherlands, with stops ahead in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway. My mom is certainly setting a good example of how to enjoy retirement!
She also set a good example of how to love your kids unconditionally and how to champion them in whatever they desire to do.
When I was in the fourth grade, I wanted to play basketball. Back then, 4th grade was when you could start playing, so it was brand new to all of us. But, no one volunteered to coach us, so they said there would be no team.
Well, my mom wouldn't stand for that. Now, she knew very little about basketball, but If her daughter wanted to play basketball, she'd make it happen. So, she was our coach. For exactly one practice. At that practice, another dad realized that Gwen could "use some help" and volunteered. It was a great year, and that group of girls continued playing basketball together all the way through high school. I'd like to say we owe it all to my mom.
Today will be a good day for me. Our trio will play golf together. Erin is loving golf and continuing to play on the varsity for Mayo. She wants to get better. Spending 3 or 4 hours together on a Sunday afternoon sounds pretty darn good to me.
Of course, I will think about Shannon throughout the day. We wish she was here, growing and maturing right along side her sister. I loved her unconditionally and I championed her in the best way I knew how. No regrets.
Happy Mother's Day, everyone.
