As always, the start of a new season begins with fresh expectations, new faces, and a lot of excitement. This beginning, however, is a little bittersweet for me as it's the first time I'll start a season without my Grandma Thompson, who passed away back in May. My Grandma was never one who loved basketball like I do. When she came to my games she often thought it was unfair that I had to dribble the ball down the court every single time (I was the PG) when there were four other girls on the floor. It seemed like a lot of work for one person, she said, and I always laughed. She honestly wouldn't have cared if I was standing at the end of the bench passing out water - I was her Granddaughter and she came to my games simply because of that.
What my Grandma did love, though, was hearing stories about my teams and our trips, and all the places my love for basketball had taken me between jobs, recruiting trips, tournaments, and conventions. Once when I was an assistant at UPJ, the team stopped at my parent's house for a team dinner before we played an exhibition at YSU, and she came over to meet everyone. She hugged all of the girls and kept saying over and over "You're all so tall and beautiful". The girls got such a kick out of my sweet, little Grandma expressing her amazement of how tall they all were (even those who were 5'7"). What they didn't understand is that my Grandma always said what she meant - that's how she saw each and every one of them - tall and beautiful.
I'm a big believer that people are at the heart of every organization, and my Grandma was one of the best people I've ever known. When I stepped to the pulpit at her funeral to give her eulogy, I was overcome with emotion - it was simply one of the hardest things I have ever done. I never thought it would be easy, but I thought I could get through it because I felt honored to have the opportunity to speak about such an amazing woman. What I didn't realize, however, was how hard it would be to speak the words that in summation meant goodbye.
As I arrived to the office tonight, I realized that the moments in which I will miss my Grandma will never cease, but I also smiled because I know how much she'd love to hear about tonight and this team. I can hear her laughing as she'd tell me how "hard" I had made the challenge. Then she'd remind me that she was sure they were all trying their very best. Throughout this season, I'll try my best to always remember that...
