Close in Heart

There was a time when basketball was just about the most important thing in my life. I loved to play. I loved to play but I especially loved to play with the same group of girls I had played with all my life...or at least since I was in 5th grade. I loved that my teammates were most of my best friends in the world. I knew them like sisters. Some of our families went to the lake together in the summers. Our dads went hunting together. I visited their brothers and sisters as babies when they were born. I went to the funerals when their grandparents died.

Outside of game time, we had sleepovers and team meetings/movie nights. We had team camps and summer tournaments and practices and open gyms and fundraisers. I hadn't thought about how much time we spent together growing up in a very long time. I miss playing basketball, but it's not about wanting to relive those old glory days and being all trim and fit again (although trim would be appreciated these days). It is about spending time and keeping up with those people that I worked and sweat and cried and played with all those years ago...and for all of those years.

Atlanta had their big Sesquicentennial celebration over the weekend. They wanted to honor any alumni athletes who have been honored at the state level over the years. At the last minute they asked if we had anything we wanted to share. I could not come up with a summary in that moment for what my athletic career meant or represented to me. I thought about it some over the rest of the weekend. What would I say if I had to say something about that time in my life? What are the most important things that I have taken from the experience?

I came to the very swift conclusion that of all the wonderful trophies and medals and memorabilia that I posses to represent that time, what I treasure the most are those people that I shared it with. My teammates. Our families. Coach Roberts and his family. I have dear friends who were never my teammates, but most of my best friends to this day were there with me every step of the way. I am not talking about friendships from back then where we would plan our hairdo's and wardrobe for big events. I am talking about the people I called when I got engaged. The people I called when I found out I was having a baby. The people I called from my hospital bed to share all the details about the tiny fingers and toes. The people I called when my grandma was diagnosed with cancer. The people I call when I feel inadequate or overwhelmed as a wife, mother, or daughter and need some reassurance or encouragement. The people who call me for a lot of those same reasons. Reaching out to these lifelong friends or having them reach out to me, whether it be joyous or sorrowful, is one of the most wonderful elements of life that make it worth living. My calendar had a quote for the day that said, "True friends stay close in heart even when far away." Yes. There is something about maintaining those lifelong friendships that feels like home. I hope we can manage to keep things this way for many years to come.