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Last Thursday marked the second anniversary of the tragic accident that took our younger daughter from us after just 9½ years. While I had planned some low key tributes for the day (including some BookCrossing releases), we really didn’t plan to have any major commemoration of the day, since we prefer to remember her life, rather than focusing on her death.
About a week and a half ago, the head coach for the field hockey teams at our daughter’s high school approached us with a couple of questions. She was aware that the anniversary was coming up, and noted that the teams were scheduled for scrimmages that day. She wanted to know if we had plans, indicating that there would be no problem with our daughter missing her scrimmage that day if she needed to. After hearing that we didn’t have any major plans, she asked if there was something that the teams could do to mark the anniversary.
After some thought and discussion, we agreed that both the varsity and the junior varsity teams would wear pink t-shirts bearing Becky’s name for the scrimmages (they couldn’t wear official uniforms in any event, since they weren’t official games). We helped prepare the shirts for all the girls on both teams, as well as for the coaching staff. When the teams arrived at the field for the games, the coaches explained the significance of the shirts to the coaches for the other school (an all-girls Catholic prep school), who indicated that they would include Becky in their pre-game prayer.
After the games, the teams posed for a group photo on the prep school campus, with the Washington Monument in the background:
I think it speaks highly of the coaching staff that they took the time and initiative to do commemorate this anniversary of a child they never knew, the younger sister of a player who has only been a part of the team for about a month. To me, it shows that they are concerned with much more than just playing field hockey and winning games…they really care about their players and what goes on in their lives beyond their sport. It means a lot to us that they chose to remember our younger daughter with us, but it means even more that they care enough about our older daughter for them to take the lead in this memorial.
About a week and a half ago, the head coach for the field hockey teams at our daughter’s high school approached us with a couple of questions. She was aware that the anniversary was coming up, and noted that the teams were scheduled for scrimmages that day. She wanted to know if we had plans, indicating that there would be no problem with our daughter missing her scrimmage that day if she needed to. After hearing that we didn’t have any major plans, she asked if there was something that the teams could do to mark the anniversary.
After some thought and discussion, we agreed that both the varsity and the junior varsity teams would wear pink t-shirts bearing Becky’s name for the scrimmages (they couldn’t wear official uniforms in any event, since they weren’t official games). We helped prepare the shirts for all the girls on both teams, as well as for the coaching staff. When the teams arrived at the field for the games, the coaches explained the significance of the shirts to the coaches for the other school (an all-girls Catholic prep school), who indicated that they would include Becky in their pre-game prayer.
After the games, the teams posed for a group photo on the prep school campus, with the Washington Monument in the background:
I think it speaks highly of the coaching staff that they took the time and initiative to do commemorate this anniversary of a child they never knew, the younger sister of a player who has only been a part of the team for about a month. To me, it shows that they are concerned with much more than just playing field hockey and winning games…they really care about their players and what goes on in their lives beyond their sport. It means a lot to us that they chose to remember our younger daughter with us, but it means even more that they care enough about our older daughter for them to take the lead in this memorial.
