Erin has been playing so much golf, it's incredible. Four meets last week, three more this week, and she still played with us on the weekend. She did the math and figured out that in 7 days, she played 89 holes of golf!
She has surprised herself with how much she is enjoying the experience. Erin has set goals for herself along the way - making varsity, having her score count, breaking 50 for 9 holes - and she's reached them all.
Yesterday was picture day - a break from the routine and a little time for fun. Like this:
I love working with the team in my volunteer role and getting to know the girls. And, I get to peek in on Erin's life a bit, which is also fun. Erin's Mother's Day card said "thank you not only for being a great mom, but being a great best friend, too." You can't beat that...
But even in this world that is now Erin's, Shannon is present. The photographer who took our team photos told me yesterday that he just finished reading Determined to Matter. Then, a mom who was dropping off her daughter told me she was walking through the bookstore and saw the picture of Shannon on the cover. She stopped and bought the book.
After running around all day - work, golf, piano, dinner - we drove home and passed our neighbor on his lawnmower. Wearing a Shannon shirt. It makes me smile. And it makes me ache.
On Mother's Day, after we finished golfing, the three of us were talking about what this golf season would be like if Shannon were still here and on the team with Erin. What if Erin had become the better golfer? How would Shannon handle that? The three of us laughed as we agreed that Shannon would have been pissed!
Of course, we wish we had that problem to navigate, but that is not the case. So, we carry on. We look for signs, and when they present themselves, we try to take a moment to remember Shannon.
