Newsletter from April 26. 2024
Been a few busy weeks here since we got back from our vacation in Maui. My sleeping was affected so that took a week or so to recuperate from. And then, facing the browns and greys of the landscape after lush green and colourful flowers and blue, blue water was a bit of an adjustment. As well as the snowstorm we got. But that snow didn’t last and we’ve had some lovely warm and sunny days since then.
Ah well, this is home and this is where we live and right now the geese are flying back, robins are returning and the trees are slowly beginning to bud.
My sister-in-law has been tapping her maple trees as the sap starts running to make maple syrup, another sign of spring coming.
And last week I drove to Calgary to visit grandkids, deliver my old car to the family there. This will greatly help out my daughter with all the driving she does. Her husband works away from home for stretches at a time so she does all the driving. But not as much anymore.
The oldest granddaughter is thrilled with the freedom this car will give her as well. Plus now she can do the volleyball practise and games runs that are part and parcel of her and her sister’s teenage years.
And speaking of volleyball, I got to watch a tournament that the second granddaughter was a part of. They had to play six games one day and six the next. It was fun to watch her playing and watch as they won. Sad to watch when they lost.
But there was one very exciting set that ended up going to a a third tie-breaking game. Very important game for my daughter’s team to win. I sat with my daughter and all the other volleyball moms and we cheered every point they made and felt bad over every point they lost. It got very intense as the score bounced back and forth. And when my granddaughters team the nail-biter, we cheered loudly and hard, so happy.
And then I saw the other team, gathering around their coach. some of the girls were crying and then I felt a bit bad that we had celebrated.
Because for every winning team there’s a losing team. And these girls were only fourteen! So it was hard to see as well.
I ended up standing by some of the girls from that team a bit later watching another game and I felt I had to let them know that I felt bad. Let them know they had played well. That they really made my granddaughter’s team fight for every point. I got thanked and some smiles. I hope I gave them a bit of hope.
And yes, while it’s hard to know that some girls were sad because my granddaughter’s team won, it has gone the other way as well. I’ve consoled and encouraged my granddaughter when their team lost the day previous.
All that to say, I also know that if every team won something, if every team ‘won’, they wouldn’t be happy either. It’s the competition and the possibility of winning and, yes, losing, that makes the game exciting and challenging for them all.
I love watching volleyball. Each of my kids played it. My nephews and nieces played it and their kids played. One of my nephews kids plays University level volleyball, the other College level. And now my grandkids play. And it’s just as exciting and nerve-wracking to watch.
The grandsons play hockey in the winter, soccer and rugby in the summer and we love watching them play as well when we can get down to Calgary to watch them.
Did your kids or grandkids play any sports? Which one was your favourite if they did
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