In the Fields

I love the smell of the grass… I love to see the familiar faces… I love the companionship… I love the smiles… I love the laughter… I love dragging the cooler full of Gatorade… I love hauling the fold-out chairs until my arms burn… I love driving back and forth to practice… I love the sunshine on the warm days… I love the cool days of the fall… I love the clipboards and the statistics… I love the joy of a victory… I love the encouragement in the defeats… I love the parents of the kids on the team… I love the siblings of the kids on the team… I love the noise they make on the sidelines… I love the relationships… I love the hugs of friendship… I love the gossip and the giggles… I love our coaches and our team mothers…

Coach Rob is in the fields every Tuesday, every Thursday, every Saturday game and every Sunday game. He travels with his wife and children out of town to be one of our leaders and to have his own children be part of our team family. His son “Bear” was always with us in the fields… he smiled brightly… he entertained us… he kept our spirits aloft. The first time I met Bear; he walked up to me and told me his name… He said, “I’m Bear, and I’m the kid with cancer”. He smiled through a giggle and ran off with his little brother.

We lost our sweet Baby Bear recently. It was haunting… it left a hollow in our hearts. I was drawn back to the last time I saw him. We were at a soccer game and were moving our chairs into position. Rob asked me if I would tell his boys it was time to get ready to watch. I walked across the field to find Bear bundled up in his favorite blanket. I patted his little shoulder and told him it was time. He smiled his little smile and told me I would have to carry him. I hoisted him up and told him I would carry him around the world if he wanted me to. He patted me on the head and told me he was finally taller than me…

Rob returned to us this weekend and paced on the sidelines as our coach… he cheered the good plays… he pumped his fists with every goal… he smiled as the sun fell across his face. 

I saw him in a quiet moment before the game… in the fields… in his heart… in his soul… and wrapped alone in his memories.

                                     

                                                          Shannon R Killman