When you are sorrowful look again in your heart,
and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

~ Kahlil Gibran, from"The Prophet"

Sunday, July 10, 2011

FLY ERIN!

it's summer time
swim season


pasta parties 
fuel, the night before the big competition


teamwork and success


a little girl born with gills and grit
the family fish - the only one,
calling it her own, in no one's shadow


POTTS!!!!!!!
Streamline!  Don't breathe!!
You get her, Potts!  
You get in there and catch her!!!!


FLY ERIN
swim fly
edge out the competition in the lane above
and leave the one below far behind
keep moving with focus and intention
see the wall


as i work in the pool now
your physical strength and fiercely competitive spirit
are in the smell of the chlorine
and in the determination of my patients
who work through their limitations


and boy, does that make me smile!
fly, erin... FLY
Posted by at 10:33 AM

6 comments:

  1. GbergerJuly 10, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    This is beautiful. I love the connection you feel with her as you take on this work - and am grateful that you have good work to do. Blessings to you and your patients! That gorgeous girl of yours is always loving you...

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 10, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    Hi Mary, we have a million "swim team" pictures of Caroline that look exactly like these! She too loved the Friday night pasta dinners, the rallys, the poster making, the card games played between events, the laughter and the fun ... why did I assume those magical days would last forever? I just thought that they would.

    Erin was such a beautiful, happy child ~ a treasure. And it is so clear, just looking at the pictures, how absolutely loved she was and still is. And missed. Missed so much.

    I understand.

    Love, Carol

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mary PottsJuly 10, 2011 at 9:34 PM

    Carol - how cool that we could just shuffle our pictures together and see basically the same scenes with nearly interchangeable characters! What strokes did Caroline swim? Erin swam free, fly and the IM. Her breast stroke stunk! Thank goodness she could kick it in with her freestyle at the end of the IM! I used to LOVE the relays too.

    How could these strong, healthy girls be gone? I guess we really did think those days would last forever. I know you understand. Thank you.

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  4. MargaretJuly 10, 2011 at 10:56 PM

    The sense of smell seems to be a powerful one. Chlorine is one of these smells! Determination was all Erin!!! Soak in the good stuff, and there was plenty of good stuff. Erin is very muched loved, you too my friend!!

    xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Karen L RJuly 11, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    So glad to read that you're smiling.
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. KellyJuly 11, 2011 at 10:16 PM

    I felt the same way Karen :)

    ReplyDelete

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