My mom was so many things to me, but one of the most special was that for ten years, she was also my travel softball coach. We spent years together on ball fields, in the car, at tournaments, in hotels, and everywhere in between. We shared the early mornings, the long drives, the wins, the losses, the laughs, and probably more than a few arguments along the way. But those ten years gave us something that I will always treasure—a closeness and a bond that I don’t think I would have had any other way.
My mom had a heart for kids. She loved them, believed in them, and always seemed to have room in her heart for one more. I know that better than most because I was adopted. She chose me, loved me, and made me her daughter. I don’t think I will ever fully be able to put into words what that means to me. She didn’t just give me a home—she gave me a family, a childhood, and a lifetime of love. Being adopted by her is one of the greatest gifts of my life, and it says so much about the kind of person she was. She had a heart big enough to love deeply and freely, and she never needed someone to be hers by birth to love them as her own.
If you knew my mom through softball, you probably remember her for her sense of humor. She was never afraid to be silly, and she had a talent for making everyone around her laugh. I can still picture her standing at third base with a red clown nose on, making up some completely ridiculous cheer just to get the girls laughing. That was my mom. She didn’t care if she looked silly. If it made the kids smile, she was going to do it. She loved working with kids and genuinely cared about them. She wanted them to feel confident, supported, and, most importantly, to have fun.
Travel softball gave us so much more than memories on the field. It gave us people. Along the way, we made friendships with so many wonderful families and people who became a part of our lives. A lot of those friendships are still here today, years later. I think that’s one of the most beautiful things Mom left behind. She had a way of bringing people together and making them feel like they belonged.
As her daughter, I know how lucky I was to have those years with her. I got to see a side of my mom that not everyone got to see. I got to watch her pour her heart into something she loved, watch her make kids laugh, watch her give her time and energy to other people, and experience all of it right beside her. She was loving and giving in everything she did. She gave so much of herself to the people she cared about, and she never seemed to think twice about it.
I would give anything to have one more tournament, one more long car ride, one more ridiculous cheer, or one more moment standing beside her at a softball field. I miss the big things, but I also miss all the little things that I never realized would one day mean so much. I miss my mom. I miss my coach. I miss my travel ball partner. I miss the person who could make me laugh when I didn’t feel like laughing.
When I think of her, I don’t want to remember only the sadness of losing her. I want to remember that red clown nose. I want to remember her laughing at third base, making up cheers, loving those girls, and making memories with me that I will carry for the rest of my life. I want to remember the enormous heart she had and the way she loved people so completely. And most of all, I want to remember that she chose me, loved me, and was my mom. I will always be grateful that I got to be her daughter.
The best thing I can, and will, do with my life is honor her by carrying on her legacy. A legacy of love, compassion, heart, and giving back. I want to live in a way that makes her proud—to love people the way she did, to give the way she gave, and to make a difference in the lives of others. If I can do that, then a part of her will always live on through me.
I love you, Mom. Thank you for choosing me, for loving me, for ten years of softball, and for a lifetime of memories. I will carry your love with me always.