This weekend we had a most amazing day of lacrosse. So good to see all the parents and families after so many months but really it seemed like no time had even past! The conversations flowed, the hugs were shared and just seeing the girls back on the field were all things that I look forward to every Spring! Three games of tough competition, lessons learned and skills that were highlighted that the girls need to work on this week in practice. Yes, girls took a picture of win #1, win #2 and even win #3, no win would be complete without it. These girls are so bonded and lift each other up. Not many are friends off the field although they text, tweet and snapchat, they are not ones that spend physical time together other than on the field. This is not unusual of most sports teams but there was an incident that happened after the third game, as the girls met under a popup tent to exchange Secret Sister gifts. These Secret Sister gifts are a way to have them connect them on a deeper level, a way that they can think of another and give them something to show them that someone else is thinking of them. As I walked over from the scorer's table I saw Chris begin to tell the girls to grab their stuff and head over to the grass...mind you it was a stern "Grab your stuff and move" and the girls did just that, they moved. Not knowing or truly caring what was happening I picked up some stuff and one of the parents whispered to me that they thought that there was a body in one of the porta-potties.
My heart sunk! I had seen a note on one of the two porta-potties all day but didn't read it. I think my mind just thought it was an "Out of Order" sign. Nope, one of the dads said he read it and let another parent know what it said. Our parents worked together and called 911 and authorities were onsite.
You see, as a School Counselor I look for and I listen for words and signs that a student may be depressed. These aren't easy to always see and depending on the age may seem like just the stage of life that someone is in. As a human being I do the same. I want to see the hurt, I don't want to ignore it, I want to reach out, I want others to know that they are not alone. And yesterday, a part of me, a piece of my heart wondered when did this happen? Did it happen before our first game? If I would've read the note the first time I used the other porta-potty could he have been saved? I don't see myself as a superhero, just someone who wants to see depression eradicated. The loss of this life, is a loss that will affect many. The look of the young firefighter who opened the door told me he will never be the same. The faces of our parents who were impacted by the closeness of the tragedy to our own.
This weekend, although filled with wins and victories as well as the bonding between all of us is also going to be one that few of us will forget. Most losses are only tallies on a scoreboard but this loss is a permanent one. One that although I don't know their name or anything else about them, will impact me. I hope that it will impact me in such a way that I continue to focus on other people's hearts, feelings and faces. Faces will often tell us the world. This week, please look up from your phone, your computer, your distraction and look, truly look at those around you. Look them in the eyes, smile at them and let them know just by your own recognition that they are not alone.
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