Now, With Added Meaning

Perhaps you've noticed that I've been changing my blog's sidebar around a bit. Among other things, I've added Tagore's "My Song", which is the passage we chose and had printed on the back of Erin's mass cards. We thought the words conveyed the sense of her ongoing presence in such a beautiful way.

I've also added the ribbon graphic to highlight the fact that

September is

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

It's an understatement to say that I'm now very much drawn to cancer-related issues. Inserting this graphic made me think about how the significance of ribbons and the meanings & characteristics associated with colors now impact me a little differently.

Several years ago (which actually seems more like a lifetime ago at the moment) when I coached junior high girls volleyball, I sometimes had to get a little creative to motivate those young athletes whose attention could wander off to things unrelated to the task at hand. Funny how that happens with adolescent girls! To fire them up a bit, I decided to give them ribbons to tie on their shoes when they won a match. Each opposing team in our league was represented by a ribbon that corresponded with that team's school colors.

Those colored ribbons symbolized

Teamwork, Motivation, Winning,

Success After Hard Work, Goals Attained, Fun!

When the season began, I gave each player a red ribbon with white polka dots to signify the school colors of St. Cletus, and I tied one to my spiral coaching notebook. I dug out those spirals, with the red/white ribbons still attached, along with scrapbooks that contain photos and notes I'd received from players & parents throughout the years.

I sat on the floor amidst the piles, as waves of wonderful memories washed over me while I relived the days spent with sweaty, happy, pony-tailed girls in SO many gyms in SO many places for SO many years... I LOVED coaching.

OK, Cletus & IC folks, here it is ~

the page from the best match ever held in The Barn!

(clicking on the image will enlarge it)

Yes, I know: 14-25(ick!) 25-23 and 21-25 in favor of IC ;(

The girls also loved to show off their "artistic abilities" and I always let them decorate my notebooks with their graffiti.

I have some real treasures!

Here's a brief stroll down memory lane.

Perhaps you recognize some of these young ladies!

1996 ~ SPL League Champions

1998 ~ Victory at IHM Tournament

2001 ~ Hodgkins Tournament Champs

2004 ~ Honoring NBS in the Battle Zone

I carried the theme of color a bit further with the team pictured in the orange victory T-shirts above. (Erin, who was 10 at the time, was my assistant coach and claimed part-ownership of that big trophy!) On Sports Awards Night during their 8th grade year, I gave my players printed cards on which I'd explained the symbolic meaning of some colors. I found it so interesting to look at the descriptions and character traits of each color, and then think of the personalities of my girls to see which ones they resembled most. The majority were a combination of the spectrum, but some really had strong tendencies toward one in particular. It was that secret blend that always made us a spectacular TEAM!

This is what I gave them. Is there a specific color that most accurately describes you, or are you a mixture of hues?

The Universal Meaning of Colors

Red is a strong color

that stands for force and high energy.

It is a color of leadership and the color of the pioneer.

Red makes the first move.

Blue shows devotion and steady progress.

It is the color of creative energy and quiet wisdom.

Blue cares about the welfare of others

and shows compassion and great inner strength.

Green is the color of nature.

It is a strong energy and attracts a lot of positive power.

It is the shade of peace and harmony,

the color of honesty and truth.

Yellow is friendly and cheerful.

It shows action and warmth,

and is also the color of intelligence.

Yellow is the shade of social energy.

It indicates cooperation from others

and the desire to make things better.

Black is the color of strong drive and purpose.

It represents formality and great dignity of self.

Purple represents the energy of the quest.

It is the color of self-confidence and ego,

the color of ambition.

Orange is a sun color and is full of energy.

It shows things that move fast

and that have great strength of purpose.

It is not a color of material wealth,

but rather a wealth of the mind and knowledge.

Orange represents the energy

that enjoys giving to others.

Brown is the color of the earth

and represents the practical side of things.

Success comes by steady work.

It does not show energy that soars,

but rather a secure and slower force.

Brown indicates things that work hard.

It is the color of endurance.

White is the strongest and most pure of all the colors.

It is felt to be the color of

perfection and pure light energy.

It represents good and fair judgement

and shows the path of the spirit.

This flowing white ribbon was tied to the tree in front of our home just after Erin passed away last December. If you've not been reading my blog, perhaps you'd appreciate more photos and the story detailing this beautiful gesture from the people in our neighborhood HERE.

While colored ribbons still represent the attributes listed above

with all the memories I hold dear,

they've now also become symbolic of

Remembrance, Honor, Death, Survival, Awareness,

Courage, Hope and Love

Gold ~ Childhood Cancer
Yellow ~ Sarcoma/Bone/Bladder Cancer
Pink ~ Breast Cancer
Teal ~ Ovarian Cancer
Clear ~ Lung Cancer
Purple ~ Pancreatic Cancer
Orange ~ Leukemia
Emerald Green ~ Liver Cancer
Periwinkle Blue ~ Esophageal & Stomach Cancer
Black ~ Melanoma
Dark Blue ~ Colon Cancer
Burgundy ~ Multiple Myeloma
Gray ~ Brain Cancer
Blue ~ Prostate Cancer
Teal/White ~ Cervical Cancer
Burgundy/Ivory ~ Head & Neck Cancer
Lime ~ Lymphoma
Peach ~ Uterine Cancer
Kelly Green ~ Kidney Cancer
Teal/Pink/Blue ~ Thyroid Cancer
Lavender ~ All Cancers

Please stop for a moment and think about how cancer has affected your life ~ through your own diagnosis or through a loved one's experience.

Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it?