Most field days you sign up in advance to volunteer at in first grade and
you get assigned to a game...
Back when my daughter was in first grade I was assigned to the upper field and I was paired up with Ivette Booher. I had never met Ivette since her daughter was here at Laurel Ridge for the Spanish Immersion program and they commuted to the neighborhood.
As we waited for our groups to come outside we shared some small talk about our lives. At this point the kids were not around.
So one of the 1st questions many folks ask is "do you have other children?"
So that one question was asked of eachother.
What I recall since it was 7 years ago a moment in time that stopped me and stopped the field day in my head.
I shared Seneca has a brother named Myles but he died before she was born of Neuroblastoma Cancer. I was afraid like I use to be that I would silence the conversation to where the quiet becomes almost too much. But that day I never imagined Ivette would turn to me and say I know about Neuroblastoma because our son Aaron died at age 3 of this as well.
My eyes filled with tears and my heart ached inside when I thought about her as a mom. Both of us losing our first born, little boys to the ugly cancer called Neuroblastoma. Her son Aaron was born healthy and should be here still I thought in my head, how unfair and how painful a loss once again.
Today I look back on that field day as a moment in time that stopped me. I know for me, as a mom I will never forget that field day with Ivette.
The beautiful thing is on that same field where time stopped us with a simple question " do you have other children?" it bonded us in a way in life nobody ever wants to be, but we are. So in the years to follow many very cool things happened together as moms on that same field that stopped us. We shared many days coaching our girls and other children on that same field in GOTR and GOT, many field days and end of 6th grade Parties.
I wanted to share about Aaron but decided that Ivette would be best for that if she wanted to do so at some point. I know in a quiet kind of special way out boys are a huge part of our miles we run, we walk, we coach and in our friendship as moms.
Thank You Ivette for signing up for the Upper field that day and for all the years and the miles we shared as moms...