Happy Mother’s Day! Today we are honored to have two very sweet and special tributes written about two of our very own contributors: Heather and Nicole. We love love. It is so lovely to read these beautiful tributes to two incredibly wonderful women. We present our very own version of How I Met Your Mother.
To Nicole:
The Day an 8 year old Girl was My Wingman and I Took a Ride with a Stranger
August 10th, 1997. The night before I’d been out late at Chatfield Western days but I needed to be in Janesville, WI, by 7:30 am, at a skier safety meeting for the National Waterski Tournament. I had driven straight to the tournament and I was not able to get any sleep before the show.
After we performed, I headed to the stands to sit with members of the Rochester team. I sat next to Marcy (the 8 year old wingman from the show who would often climb to the tops of skier pyramids) she started talking to this other beautiful girl (the stranger) who I had never seen before. Marcy took the stranger’s hat off of her and then put it on Marcy’s head and then put the hat on my head. Marcy would sit on my lap for a while and then sit on the stranger’s lap for a while. We hung out for most of the day watching the other teams at the tournament perform while we were laughing, talking, and playing around.
This stranger was amazing. The moment I sat beside her I was blown away. Her energy and enthusiasm was irresistible. Everything she said and did showed a joy and caring for everyone and everything around her. Her gorgeous beaming brown eyes hypnotized me. Hearing her laugh and seeing her smile just made me want to say anything to hear her laugh and see her smile again. The way she interacted with Marcy and me was so caring and fun that I felt like I was sitting with long lost family. I was in love — all I needed was her name.
Years ago my mother gave me a long talk about not taking rides with strangers. (MOSTLY BECAUSE– one day after kindergarten class one cold winter day I accidentally missed the Butterfield school bus. At 6 years old I walked a couple miles down the highway that ran out of town until I accepted a ride from a nice man who safely brought me home). On August 10th, 1997 I ignored my mother’s advice.
When the show was over I turned to my friends to explain how I had not slept the night before and that I was looking for someone to ride back to Rochester with me so I wouldn’t fall asleep while I was driving. The stranger chimed in with the most beautiful words I had ever heard: “I’ll drive you.” This was the luckiest day of my life!!I thought I was going to get some sleep by letting her drive, but we talked the entire 4 hour drive back to Rochester. When we got back I didn’t want to drop her off and leave her. She fascinated me that night with her hopes and dreams. She amazes me still today with her love, caring and ambition.
Thanks Nicole!!!
To Heather:
Maybe it was always a big what-if between Heather and I from the beginning. For myself, I was probably too naive to truly realize this possibility. Heather has known both my before and after self. I say this because she has known me as a friend through some of the most joyful times of our lives as well as, what I would consider, some of the hardest.
