I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. I'm getting kinda old and my body is even older than my age. I was chatting with a friend on the phone this week, and we were recounting my medical adventures over the past three years. No wonder I have gray hair...
Today marks 6 weeks post surgery. I see my surgeon next week, and I am crossing my fingers that I get the OK to return to normal physical activity. I am chomping at the bit to get back out on the tennis court and get some exercise. Uff da...
It has been a long six weeks for Dan as he has had to do all the lifting as we haul our Shannon O'Hara Foundation merchandise to and from the various events. This weekend brings another one - the Shannon Cup for the 10 and 12 year olds. It should be a busy weekend with 20 teams at four different levels coming to town. We will kick it off tonight and then will be at Graham Arena all day tomorrow. (Shameless plug - one more chance to get your Shannon gear :)
I visited the Rochester teams at their practices this week. It's something we like to do in the week leading up to the tournament, to wish the girls luck and tell them we will be there cheering them on.
My message to them is to strive to be the kind of kid that Shannon was - good teammate, good friend, hard worker. At 10, 11, 12 years old, they don't see the long view, but they can hear the story of Shannon and be reminded to be kind to one another.
Looking at the faces of those girls sitting the the locker rooms at Graham Arena... well, it takes me right back there. I can picture sweet Shannon, getting fired up to play. Those girls on the U12 team are right where Shannon was when she got sick.
Shannon's friends are now turning 17. They are halfway through their junior year of high school, and college is just around the corner. I sometimes imagine what life would be like with a 17 year old Shannon. She could be driving Erin to school each day, going to hockey practice, working through the difficult coursework required of high school juniors.
These years of high school are so memorable. Hell, even this gray haired old lady can remember those days...
The passing of time can be unkind. Hard on the body, hard on the spirit, and for us, magnified by the loss of someone so young. Shannon is frozen in time and we are aging in a hurry. That ain't right.
But, I can't change it. So, I will do my best to take solace in going to Graham Arena this weekend and watching those young girls play. I will try to let it bring me back to better times and happy days with Shannon.
Off to the rink we go, remembering our girl...
