Tonight, we played our last softball game of the regular season. It’s done. Finished.

And I?

Survived.

I have mixed emotions about it. Part of me is excited that I can now have my nights and weekends back but the other part of me is going to miss these girls. Miss the game. Miss the competition. Miss the victories, not just in the final score of the game, but in what I saw these girls, and myself, accomplish.

I entered the season not knowing what to do, if I could do it, if I would like it, etc. So many unknowns… so many insecurities.

I’m not a confident person.

And then I found out that my head coach was going to miss ALOT of games. Like eight of our 15… and there went my security blanket. I really felt like I would just be the head coach in name only and he would be the real coach. (They wouldn’t let him coach two teams, so this is the arrangement that we made….)

Oy.

And like I mentioned, we only won when he was there and it baffled me. I always made the line up. I always decided who would play where. I did all that, so why did we always lose when he wasn’t there? It bothered me. Alot. I was beginning to develop a complex.

Last night, we finally won without him. And tonight? We did it again.

We ended the season with three wins in a row on three VERY hot days. I couldn’t have asked for a better team. They gave it their all and it showed.

We had our banquet after the game tonight and I have no pictures thank goodness because I looked like I had just gone through the wringer. As I looked out at all the parents who had cameras and video cameras, I was sick thinking about how many of these people have me permently embedded in their digital media looking the way that I did today. It. Was. Hot. Like 100 degrees hot.

But…

My point is this… Never have I been more proud of myself. I did this. I did the best I could with this. And I realized that I’m good at this… maybe not with the wins, but with the motivation of the team, of the teaching of the skills. I can do this.

I was honored tonight in many ways. I guess honored isn’t the right word… thanked would be better.

From our sponsor, the local Fox station, I received a clock with my name on it… and it says

COACH HEATHER JACOBSON

Thank You For Your Hard Work

Time And Patience

2008 White Sox

I had to laugh… I don’t think I’ve ever been thanked for my patience…

From the parents, I got this…

It’s signed by all the girls, and I’m not sure if you can tell, but that softball is sitting in a glove. It’s by far the best recognition I’ve ever received.

We ended our season eight and seven… yes, a winning season. In so many more ways than one.

One of the parents took pictures the entire season and gave all of us a CD. I was ever so grateful as I have very few. It’s hard to take pictures from the coaches box.

So I’ll leave you with a few…

But here are my two favorites…

It’s bittersweet coaching your daughter…

And this? This is Sam’s dad, my ex-husband, pitching to my daughter. While I coached. And friends, if you would have told me 7 years ago that this would be happening? I would’ve laughed in your face. If that’s not a God thang, I don’t know what is… but it’s also one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

As for coaching again next year?

I’m already signed up.

Until next time…

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