ok, so i do miss joe

since i retired from teaching in may 2010, i really haven't missed it much - not the work or the stuff or the school in general. i feel confident in the decision that GOD led me to make in leaving dca to stay home with my family.  i do miss people though & have talked, blogged, & shared about that with many...but i just realized last week that there is one thing that i do miss terribly, and that is joe patterson...field. 

joe is not a person - in this case.  joe is the stadium field where dca plays all of their home football games.  it is named for joe patterson, a former coach & contributor to the wildcat football program.  but for 15 years this field was "home" to me & the band i led.  most people can grasp that a football player or coach can become attached in a very personal & emotional way to their home field.  i believe the band can as well...& i am certain that the director can. 

i miss the grass & the fact that as much time & energy as they spend to make it look fantastic, it still has some weathered & worn spots because it's on a flood plain.  i love how it looks under the lights at night, but i am equally in awe at how it looks in the middle of a school day - when it's peaceful & quiet...like the field of battle before the fight.  i love the blue bleachers, the brick, & the newer stone walls.  i love that the press box is on the wrong side...for real, it's over with the visitors. :) i love the way it smells - always like fresh spring grass after the rain...even when it's dry or cold.   

but what i love the most about joe are all of the memories that flood my mind when i walk in - or even drive by.  i led the band onto that field to perform at least 100 times...every time was not an epic memory, but there was the first time ever & the last; the first game after 9/11; the one we played in the hurricane; & the homecoming games where we played "endless love" - endlessly. there were some fantastic wins & some devastating losses.  some of the most phenomenal (SUPERIOR) performances by the band were on this field - because there's no pressure; you're playing at home. and because of these memories, and many more, coach goodwin allowed chris & i to renew our vows on this field for our 15th wedding anniversary (to the band playing "endless love"...of course). 

so as i read through this list, i ponder whether i actually do miss all of this...but i don't think that's it.  what i've realized, or the revelation here, is that i will always remember these amazing times - whenever i get to visit joe.