What a journey

[Anonymous]

Never gave much thought to the end when promises of ice cream would first motivate you to scramble up and down the field after the countless groundballs that make up beginner lacrosse. We just seemed to follow river from clinics, to tryouts, to trips up to Baltimore tournaments to see how the real teams play. And then it was NGLL weekends, trips to godforsaken fields in MD, NJ, PA, and the like. Cuts, new clubs, rumors of who is leaving and staying. High school tryouts, tears, resilience, more tryouts, and peace. Fall tournaments in howling winds and sleet. Summer tournaments in relentless heat.

Along the way there's been coaches who didn't see what you had to offer and coaches who saw something you couldn't see in yourself. Teams that won and teams that lost. Families we loved and those that we gave a wide berth to on the sidelines. Teammates you forgot and teammates that became genuine friends.

My mind's eye can see you in each uniform over the past 9 years. From pigtails to braces to senior day. From watching DVDs in the backseat, to driving us there yourself. When the alarm would go off at 5:30 on Saturday mornings, I never thought I would miss it. But now the finality is a gut punch. No more of groggy mornings. No more Subways. No more walks across the field towards me.

I am thankful. For the time we spent together. For the way you would crank up the radio when a song you liked came on. For the way you would pass out on the way home. For the opportunity to just sit there with you in silence. For the way the game made you push yourself and overcome. For being able to watch you interact with your peers. And for the genuine smiles I saw along the way.

What a journey. I'd give anything to have to set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. this Saturday.

[Anonymous]

I’m not crying…you’re crying!

With 2 daughters in the middle of this same journey, I will remember to savor every moment!

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing!

[Anonymous]

Loved this, thank you for sharing

[Anonymous]

really good post! thanks for pointing out the best parts of this crazy ride!

[Anonymous]

Tears reading this. So true. Beautiful.

[Anonymous]

Excellent. So very true. We watch our children grow up right in front of us on these fields and never even realize there is an end to all of it.

[Anonymous]

It truly is over before you know it. Here's to new adventures for us and our young adults!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never gave much thought to the end when promises of ice cream would first motivate you to scramble up and down the field after the countless groundballs that make up beginner lacrosse. We just seemed to follow river from clinics, to tryouts, to trips up to Baltimore tournaments to see how the real teams play. And then it was NGLL weekends, trips to godforsaken fields in MD, NJ, PA, and the like. Cuts, new clubs, rumors of who is leaving and staying. High school tryouts, tears, resilience, more tryouts, and peace. Fall tournaments in howling winds and sleet. Summer tournaments in relentless heat.

Along the way there's been coaches who didn't see what you had to offer and coaches who saw something you couldn't see in yourself. Teams that won and teams that lost. Families we loved and those that we gave a wide berth to on the sidelines. Teammates you forgot and teammates that became genuine friends.

My mind's eye can see you in each uniform over the past 9 years. From pigtails to braces to senior day. From watching DVDs in the backseat, to driving us there yourself. When the alarm would go off at 5:30 on Saturday mornings, I never thought I would miss it. But now the finality is a gut punch. No more of groggy mornings. No more Subways. No more walks across the field towards me.

I am thankful. For the time we spent together. For the way you would crank up the radio when a song you liked came on. For the way you would pass out on the way home. For the opportunity to just sit there with you in silence. For the way the game made you push yourself and overcome. For being able to watch you interact with your peers. And for the genuine smiles I saw along the way.

What a journey. I'd give anything to have to set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. this Saturday.

God Bless... wonderful post!

[lexysmile06]

This is a beautiful and uplifting post. I have 2 more summers of lacrosse with my DD and this post captures what I experience now. Thank you for sharing!

[Anonymous]

I’d just be happy to sleep in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d just be happy to sleep in

Even my cynical lacrosse playing daughter was touched by this. I have loved the time in the car, hotels and on those frozen or sweltering fields with my daughter but also with other wonderful parents. Luckily I have not been exposed to the dark side of lacrosse.