Fast Spring

 

 

We arrived in a rush after gulping McDonald's chicken nuggets and surviving the hot rush hour crawling traffic across the bridge, and we all had to take several deep breaths as we turned on to Hauser Street and discovered a line of cars and a precarious parking situation just ten minutes before game time.  I parallel parked on the road and threw on the backpack and the folding chair and grabbed the Packer blanket and handed each of the kids their water bottles and said "Let's move."  We followed a line of rushing parents, Eva complaining about her flip flops as we walked along the rockbed roadside and Sam constantly distracted and slowing to look at all the kids in different team shirts. 

 

"Come on.  Move," I barked as the hot sun was already pushing down on us and I started dreading what the next 3 hours were going to be like 

 

Once we made it to the grass I exhaled slightly and then Eva said she had to go potty and we ran to the port-a-potties and then stood and waited and waited and waited while she needed a great deal of time.  With 4 minutes to spare, she came out of the potty and we washed her hands and I sent Sam running through the crowds in the direction of field 9J.

 

Along the west side of the field we found our people, Sam's friends and their parents, and all the other Euro kids dressed in red and white and kicking a ball around with their coach.

 

For the next 3 and a half hours, the boys (and the amazing Abby) ran and ran and really played their hearts out, each one of them at some point getting a fire in the belly and driving for the goal.  They passed and defended and shared the ball and played aggressively and laughed and cheered and made each and every parent proud.

 

By the time the third game started late at a little after 8pm many of the parents were tired, but the sun was lower in the sky and gloaming light and cool air made for perfect fall-like conditions for watching a ball game.  Eva and Eomji played tag and soccer with Abby's big sister, and the kids got a little punch drunk on the field, but I got a tear in my eye when Sammy posed with his team and then again with his club and his Brazilian coach.  I wasn't prepared to so suddenly be caught up in the emotions of another ending on the same day that Sam had his last day of kindergarten.  All my friends with older children tell me that it goes so very fast, and some days when the sun is hot and the kids are dragging their feet and whining for uppy or complaining that they are hungry or tired or have to go potty for the tenth time, it's hard to imagine that it could go fast.  But then you find yourself standing in front of a bench full of 12 soccer players who grew and matured and learned so much during the spring season and you realize if you had blinked you would have missed so much.

 

Wow.  Thanks for another great spring, Winona Euro!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madison Reunion

Reunion on Memorial Union Terrace the night before the half

I am sitting in the sunshine in the outdoor garden seating at The Great Dane in Madison, and my skin is covered with the fine powdered feeling of dried up sweat.  My best friend and college roommate sits across from me, her finisher's medal hung around her neck and a pink sweatband saying "Decide. Commit. Succeed." holding back her thick dark hair.  As the waiter sets a giant plate of waffles with berries and whipped cream on the table in front of her son, I am struck once again by how much he looks like his father.

"This is so surreal," I say to both of them.  "It seems like just yesterday it was the three of us... you and Brian and me.  And now it almost doesn't feel much different."

I cannot believe that it's been over 25 years since we spent our weekends in Madison together, and I am so amazed by what kind, thoughtful, generous, adult kids this best friend of mine has raised.  Two grown men who are focused and commited and succeeding at UW-Madison themselves.

Standing at the finish line with Zack a few hours earlier, he and I talked about the running and his recent battle with some virus that kept him from participating.  He was positive and excited and interested in signing up for another race soon.  And when the three of us sat at an Irish pub on the square and he toasted his mother and said how proud of her he was, I got tears in my eyes.

My less-than-24-hour weekend away from my children made me think of mothers and children and balance and history and example and achievement and friendship and how truly blessed I am.

 

 

 

 

I Just Thank You God for Making Me Me

 

 

TT didn't want me to tell Sam she was coming just in case she couldn't make it at the last minute, but when she pulled in to our driveway just after dinner Thursday night, it was a pretty safe bet that she'd be at Sam's final spring program at St. Mary's the following day.  And after the usual wrong turn and redirection in Winona, TT walked in and took her place next to me in the middle of the church.  We both anxiously looked for Sam as the children filed in, and when he spotted us he beamed and waved and posed for pictures.  Cameras and phones and ipods clicked and zoomed and beeped as the kids sang about butterflies and bumblebees and I Just Thank You God for Making Me Me.  Sam never really looked comfortable on stage even when they put on sunglasses for the hula number, but he had been practicing the songs in the car all week and he was so excited to share what he had learned with Mom and Grandma.  I teared up a few times as they sang about God giving them roots to grow, but mostly I beamed and couldn't take my eyes off of this boy who I am so blessed to have in my life.

 

When Sam went up to get his certificate and give Miss Kay a hug, Ms. Cicolz told the crowd that when Sam grew up he wanted to be an engineer.  And he later told us that's because he likes to create and build things and being an engineer is kind of like Minecraft.