A Mother's Day Weekend Reflection
It was a pretty hectic weekend here in Fargo since my parents and some of my former hockey and tennis players were in town. It was great to see them all, but what was more moving was the reflection I had afterwards.
Friday after work I went over to take in some tennis. The girls had played the day before in Jamestown, had two matches on Friday, and would be competing in a tournament on Saturday. I went over to watch them and it didn't surprise me to see a number of parents there to watch their kids play. It's a six hour drive from Williston and they were taking vacation time to be there. Not to mention it was Mother's Day weekend. The funny thing about it is I didn't think anything of it. My parents made that exact same trip for five years straight when I was playing high school tennis and didn't think twice about it. My mom's special day revolved around me (or my brothers when they were in sports) just like so many of these mothers that were here.
After the tennis match I went to have dinner with four of my former hockey players and one of their mothers whose turn it was to take them. Not only did she devote her time and money to these players during season, but now she was devoting her time and money in the off-season to help them improve. She inevitably spent her Mother's Day watching hockey and traveling six hours with four chatty Junior High girls. Once again, I thought back to the days that we would be up in Canada where I was playing in some off-season tournament on my mom's special day. Not once did my mother complain about this. In fact, she was actually pretty good at acting like it was her idea of a Mother's Day vacation.
Since I'm retired from hockey and tennis now (playing anyways), this Mother's Day weekend was spent with sleeping in, pedicures, and brunch. However, something struck me again on the way to brunch. As I was driving past the softball fields I saw all of the fields occupied with what looked like 100 little leaguers and, you guessed it, 100 cheering mothers. These women weren't getting breakfast in bed or spa days. They were out in their lawn chairs cheering their kids on when winning and consoling when they didn't.
Sports always have a way of illustrating the big picture in life and this weekend was no different. It showed me the incredible selflessness of a mother. They have one day set aside for them and many of them refuse to take that one day off from being a mother, a coach, a fan, a chauffeur. What's probably the most intriguing is that it's exactly how they want to spend it. This is the unconditional love of a mother and something we should never take for granted. Thank you to my own mother for all the sacrifices she made for my brothers and me growing up. The rest of you, I hope your kids all come to the realization and appreciation of what you have done and continue to do for them. Here's a special shout-out to you!
Friday after work I went over to take in some tennis. The girls had played the day before in Jamestown, had two matches on Friday, and would be competing in a tournament on Saturday. I went over to watch them and it didn't surprise me to see a number of parents there to watch their kids play. It's a six hour drive from Williston and they were taking vacation time to be there. Not to mention it was Mother's Day weekend. The funny thing about it is I didn't think anything of it. My parents made that exact same trip for five years straight when I was playing high school tennis and didn't think twice about it. My mom's special day revolved around me (or my brothers when they were in sports) just like so many of these mothers that were here.
After the tennis match I went to have dinner with four of my former hockey players and one of their mothers whose turn it was to take them. Not only did she devote her time and money to these players during season, but now she was devoting her time and money in the off-season to help them improve. She inevitably spent her Mother's Day watching hockey and traveling six hours with four chatty Junior High girls. Once again, I thought back to the days that we would be up in Canada where I was playing in some off-season tournament on my mom's special day. Not once did my mother complain about this. In fact, she was actually pretty good at acting like it was her idea of a Mother's Day vacation.
Since I'm retired from hockey and tennis now (playing anyways), this Mother's Day weekend was spent with sleeping in, pedicures, and brunch. However, something struck me again on the way to brunch. As I was driving past the softball fields I saw all of the fields occupied with what looked like 100 little leaguers and, you guessed it, 100 cheering mothers. These women weren't getting breakfast in bed or spa days. They were out in their lawn chairs cheering their kids on when winning and consoling when they didn't.
Sports always have a way of illustrating the big picture in life and this weekend was no different. It showed me the incredible selflessness of a mother. They have one day set aside for them and many of them refuse to take that one day off from being a mother, a coach, a fan, a chauffeur. What's probably the most intriguing is that it's exactly how they want to spend it. This is the unconditional love of a mother and something we should never take for granted. Thank you to my own mother for all the sacrifices she made for my brothers and me growing up. The rest of you, I hope your kids all come to the realization and appreciation of what you have done and continue to do for them. Here's a special shout-out to you!
