Farewell to the Cheetahs

Today was David's last soccer game ("not forever," he keeps reminding us as he proudly wears the medal of participation that he received today, "just for this season").  Here are some things I'll remember from the past eight Saturday mornings...

...how I was proud of David for (almost always) staying focused on the game.  Focus can be a challenge for him, but I thought he did really, really well in this area.

 ...how David was a solid, middle-of-the-road player for his team who scored some goals - not as skillful as Grayson (the coach's son and stand-out player on the team), but better than Jack (the assistant coach's son who seemed a little too young to even care about being out there on the field).  The age range for this league is 4 to 6 years old, and that's quite a range!  The developmental changes that occur during those years are huge.

...how Josiah wished he could be out on the field playing, too...and how he raced up and down the sideline, keeping even with the ball, and occasionally having the opportunity to kick it back in bounds ("in bounds" being a very loose term in this league!).  Also, how he kept score in his head (even though this is a non-competitive league that doesn't keep score or rank teams or anything like that)...and how he let his true competitive feelings show when he referred, in private conversation with me, to the other team as "the enemy."

...how the Great Snack Debate ignited more passion than I would ever have guessed.

...how I, for the most part, felt confident handling all four boys by myself (except for the day when it was my turn to hand out snacks)...and how, several years ago when Josiah played and David was my toddler, I fretted at the difficulty of keeping up with two boys!  We humans are blessed with a marvelous ability to adapt and get used to reality as it changes; and in my case, with the doubling of my number of children, I'm so grateful for that adaptation!  

...how my parents came to several of the games and how we were all so excited to see them there.

...how Tobin had fun running around, rarely watching the game, but being happy anyway...and how Shav contentedly sat for part of the hour in his stroller, and spent the rest of the time scooting around (and occasionally needing to be chased and retrieved when he scooted too far towards the playing field).

...how, at the end of several games, Tobin couldn't make it to the minivan without severely testing the boundaries and displaying his stubborn streak...how insecure I felt as a mom when I had to literally pick him up and carry him to the van, his loud protests marking every step, and other parents watching to boot...how I tried to reassure myself with the thought that, "if they're parents, then SURELY it's happened to them, and they're watching out of sympathy and not condemnation."  Still, it's no fun to deal with public temper tantrums.

...how Laura, the mom of David's teammate Phillip, is battling cancer...and how she is handling it with such grace and poise and outward-focus, not victim-mentality...how I wrote a heartfelt card for her and gave it to her today and how we hugged and shed tears together as we talked about cancer.

It's been a good season; and although I won't mind having my Saturday mornings back, I will miss seeing my beloved David having so much fun wearing his bright yellow shirt, chasing a dirty white sphere, and being part of a team.  Thanks, Cheetahs; it's been a blast!