Search This Blog

Friday, March 8, 2013

Growing Up

Our final year of association hockey is coming to a close this weekend.  It's been a crazy ride with 5 tournaments and over 50 games just this season.  After 11 years it really is a bittersweet milestone.  On to high school where it's a whole new game, a faster game and although I have no doubt that Max is up for the challenge, he is also saying goodbye to friends he has skated with for a long time. Splitting off to different schools, they'll never skate together as teammates again. 

And, I will be saying good bye to parents that I care about. Parents that I have laughed with, screamed with, vented to...well, it's all a little overwhelming.

I am also having a hard time wrapping my brain around not being at a hockey rink from 8:30-10 p.m. almost every night.  Next year, Max will be able to drive himself to afterschool practice and they only play about 20 games.  What the heck am I going to do with my life?

The last thing I had to do for this team was hand over some photos of Max's hockey career for the team video.  I went through his scrapbook and gave them to his Dad who scanned and sent them back to me.  But he added one.  This one.

I opened it and immediately had tears blur my vision.  This wasn't a game or a practice. It was just a Saturday and I remember this skate vividly.  We surprised him with getting to skate on the Minnesota Wild ice and he was beYOND excited.  We went out to eat after and he told us that one day he would be an NHL player but he would save the Wild to be his last team so he could be close to home when he was done playing.  You see he had his career planned out; Chicago, New Jersey and the Wild would all have Max for a few seasons after he was a MN Gopher.  Why was he going to move around?  DUH...Because he liked their jerseys and he wanted one of each with his name.  I remember listening to his explanation and thinking that it was so far away, we had plenty of time but how cute it was that he had a thought out "plan".
 
So when I look at that smile, the same smile he has now but on a much older face and I canNOT believe I have only a little over 3 years left before he leaves for college?!  Excuse me please, I have to go lay down. I'm feeling a bit dizzy.

No comments: