The coronavirus has officially hit home. Not my actual home, but my father's. He's single, turning 77 on Wednesday and lives alone in NYC. Just last week I was having a conversation with him explaining that he needs to start taking this all seriously. "Enough with the dating, stop taking the subway and limit you work hours!" was basically the conversation we had. His response... "Really? Why? I can't stop working! I need the money." Fast forward a week later and he is now quarantined at home, alone, dealing with corona. Its obvious he has it, he just hasn't been tested yet. Not that he hasn't tried. He had a test scheduled at NYU for tomorrow and they just cancelled. Just like that. No warning, no explanation. The hardest part of all this is not being able to see him. To care for him. To know he is ok. Normally, he's my self-sufficient, hard working, supportive father who doesn't need someone to watch over him. But, when I didn't hear from him until 4 yesterday afternoon, I panicked. Do I call 911? Do I call the doorman? Should I get in my car and check on him myself, exposing me and my family? What's the protocol? Fortunately, I didn't have to do that. When I finally did speak to him he didn't sound great. The experimental medicine his doctor gave him has given him side effects and he has a severe sore throat that makes it hard to talk. No fever though and no shortness of breath, so right now its just rest and ride it out. I took his doctor's number in case, told him to make sure he checks in with me when he wakes up every morning and send me a list of stuff he needs and I will make sure it gets delivered. I know I am not the only one dealing with a family member affected by this, having to figure out the right course of action, scared for what lies ahead. But I just continue to pray, to be there for my father and my family and continue to tell myself that this too shall pass. Remember, you are not alone. We Are All In This Together.
The ball is tipped... The first line of "One Shining Moment". Well, 12ET has come and gone and no ball has been tipped, no stadium filled with screaming fans, no bands playing fight songs, no whistles blown, no crowds hovered around tvs, no brackets printed, no announcers court side, and no reporters hovering around huddles. It just doesn't seem right, No one could ever imagine that we would be experiencing any other kind of madness but March Madness. But here we are. Quarantined in our houses, begging for a distraction. I urge you all to celebrate this day. Here are some things you can do: Go watch old highlights of past tournament games or just your favorite moments Go outside with your kids and reenact some of the buzzer beaters Play a family basketball game Have your children do research on their favorite team or player Watch your favorite basketball movie Sing "One Shining Moment" I leave you now with one of my favorite moments covering the Tournament... Can you say Kris Jenkins for the win???? Six years ago I created a website and set up my first blog post titled “Stories of a Sideline Mom”. My boys were much younger then. I was much younger then. I had just made a big career move going from SEC Football, where I had spent 10 years roaming the sidelines, to the NFL. I was working the inaugural Thursday Night Football season and the regular national Sunday game. I was on the road from Tuesday to Sunday almost every week. It was a thrill. It was the NFL, the biggest stage in sports! It was my lifelong dream job. It was totally overwhelming. The transition was brutal. At the time my sons were 8, 5 and 3. So that’s when I came up with “Stories of a Sideline Mom”. The motivation was partly therapeutic but the goal was to share the challenges and rewards of being a working mom. I wanted to give others a peek into the frustrations and hilarity of traveling with a broadcast crew and the nuances of being on the sidelines for major sporting events. I wanted to talk about the emotions of being away from my regular life while letting people get to know me as a wife, a mother and a friend. But life got hectic and thus the blog took a backseat to..... life. With that being said, I’m bringing it back. No better time than this one. When my life is completely the opposite of hectic. Like everyone out there, I've felt a wide range of emotions these last few weeks. An emptiness inside when my job was taken away after the tournament was cancelled, the uneasiness of not knowing what will happen next. The sadness I feel for my kids, the responsibility I have to make sure they are not scared. Which is so hard because I'm scared. I know this is normal and I want you to know what you are feeling is normal too. So with this new found time, and because I think writing and hearing from you will be a good distraction and very therapeutic, I am will be sharing my stories and thoughts on different topics. So consider this the return of “Stories of a Sideline Mom”. Please share your stories too and , with your permission, I will forward them along. Hope you enjoy!
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AuthorStories from the Sidelines from a mother who has spent 16 years roaming them Archives
April 2020
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