24 Dates in 2024

24 Dates in 2024 – Date #17

Remembering when . . .

I did it again.  
This chair refuses to go in the bag. It seeps into a small tear in the middle of the seam and lodges a leg in that hole for dear life as if it’s a toddler’s back bending, refusing to get in the car seat. I wrap the bag around the legs and carry it as is.

It was my destiny to grab the same portable, nylon, not-so-sure-if-it-will hold-me-chair even though there were other folding chairs sitting not-so-neatly in the trunk of my car.  

I’ve purchased, pulled, prodded, broke, cursed at, and sat in folding chairs for 15 years on the sidelines watching soccer games. I have watched approximately 369 games in total. All three of our boys have played soccer.

In complete embarrassment, it took me half of those games to understand offsides.  If someone had said, “The player is cherry-picking the defense,” that would have made much more sense. From where I sat, refs were very subjective about what offsides looked like, so you can’t blame a girl for the confusion.

No shade. God bless those refs for dealing with psychotic parents and coaches!

I had to fight the urge to pop open the trunk and pull out that raggedy chair for my first professional soccer game.  Our tickets to Date #17 included seats without holes and wobbly legs.

My first professional soccer experience at a Philadelphia Union game triggered playful flashbacks filled with times when the boys’ jerseys looked like dresses, when the screams of the unbridled joy of play could not be contained, when kicking the ball was the main objective, when they fell down like it was their job, when the scent of orange slices, grass and cleats was the car freshener to the final Senior game for our youngest son this past month.

Whoa, the feelings! Soccer has been a considerable part of our family life.
It’s wild to be sitting in the stands without the boys. This was the only date that pulled on some emotions I was unprepared for.

Ken and I are entering our “empty nest era,” and I’m here for it. 24 dates in 2024 is very much a part of that celebration. We are in for a new range of feelings once all the boys have begun their new adventures.

My typical blog includes details about where we went, the fun we had, and, yes, we had an enjoyable time. We recommend that any soccer fans in the South Jersey region go to a Philadelphia Union game and take advantage of the venue. Still, this date hit differently, like a sweet sorrow. I wasn’t interested in masking that.

The seasons of life and love roll along without permission or preparation. I recognize the beauty of having a loving relationship with which to share each season, and I am abundantly grateful!

Now checking ✅off date # 17 of our 24 dates in 2024!