Dear Maddie

Dear Maddie,

It just seems like yesterday that I was at Rose Hill watching you start your volleyball journey.

And so it ended in Bellingham.

The joy a parent experiences in watching their child participate and excel in sports is like nothing else. I find joy in every moment I spend with you, but just watching you fly down a soccer field or diving for a ball or making a great set was so beautiful. You won't remember the details of all your volleyball games as you move on to other things, but you'll always have it here now. Because you should be really proud of what you accomplished. To letter for all 3 years in high school, to work as hard as you did on all the summer, fall and winter nights you went to a practice, to make as many sets as you did...well...nice job, dear. Sports, and especially volleyball, has helped shape you into the amazing young woman that you are. Your confidence, your determination, your spirit, your dedication, your hard work; they all go into what and who you are and they all are a part of volleyball. These last 6 years have been so fun for me! You are my daughter, my friend, and the person I would most want to be with when the zombie apocalypse hits. So it's goodbye volleyball for us and hello the rest of your life for you. If you get your serves over, you'll go far. I love you, Maddie.