Thank You Mom

My mom was never much of a sports fan.  The only sports she watched was the hydroplane races.  For Christmas and birthdays she would get me anything with a Seattle team logo on it.  That would sum up her sports knowledge.

My dad and I would be watching a game and my mom would always have the same comment, "what type of ball are they pushing around the field now?"  With my dad I always had a bond through sports.  I never found that same type of connection with my mom.  My dad was the one who coached my basketball and soccer teams while my mom would make it to a few games each season.

When I lost my dad at an early age, one of the voids he left was who would I have to share sports with?  My poor mom was the one who would end up with the brunt of my sports raft.  When there was a big play or an amazing finish I would interrupt what she was watching to show her the replay.  As it was replaying I would narrate what was happening.  I am sure to her I was speaking a foreign language but she just smiled and nodded like she was interested until I returned the television back to what she was watching.

One day she called to tell me one of my players had been traded and that it was all over the news.  I asked her which player it was and she tells me some kid named Griffey.  My mom was the one who broke the news to me that Ken Griffey Jr. was leaving Seattle.  For some reason hearing bad news from my mom took a little bit of the sting off. 

I lost my mom over ten years ago and still miss being able to share those sports moments with her.  My mom didn't have to watch my sports replays but she did.  She didn't have to call and tell me about Ken Griffey Jr. leaving but she did.  She didn't do these things because she was a sports fan.  She did it because she had a daughter who was.

Mother's Day is Sunday, take the time to thank your mom for the little things she has done.  Sometimes it is the small things moms do that mean the most.  It just might take us longer to realize their value.  Thank you mom for watching my sports with me, it met more to me then you will ever know.

Happy Mother's Day!