Time

November 21, 2017

“I think I’m done with this!” Nate and Matt went to all the practices, worked hard, and sat the bench all season, in spite of having been on the All-Stars in our previous location. In short, they quit. The coach’s refusal to play them was irritating at the time, but sometimes even bad situations have long-term good consequences.

Linda and I attended the Panama girl’s swim team banquet this evening. Both Nate and Debbra are coaches. All four of Nate and Deb’s girls are, or have been swimmers. Alex set the school diving record her senior year, and both Abi and Izzi have their names on the record board. It’s Jo’s first year, but her day will come. At the banquet, all three of them took home awards, jacket patches, and ribbons. 

After deciding that sitting the bench in baseball was not for them, Nate and Matt decided to try competitive swimming at the Boy’s Club. A couple seasons later, the coach informed them that if they wanted to remain competitive, they would need to join a high school team. So it was that halfway through seventh grade, Nate signed himself out of Cassadaga Valley and signed into Frewsburg. The latter had a swim program; the former didn’t even have a pool. One of the phys-ed teachers at Frewsburg lived just outside of Sinclairville, and although she didn’t know Nate from Adam, he convinced her to give him a ride so he could join the swim team. A year or two later, his brother Matt followed suit, as did their sister five years later.

And now, more than thirty years later, we watched as they presented awards, our granddaughters among those receiving them. We’ve watched through the season as these thirty girls have taken shape as a team, supporting one another, growing deep in friendship and love for each other. Nicole, one of last year’s swimmers and “adopted sister” of Nate and Deb’s girls, has been at every meet and many practices, encouraging, unofficially coaching, taking photos. 

So it has now encompassed two generations, and is well underway to a third. A disappointment over thirty years ago God has turned into multiplied influence that has blessed more than thirty girls and their families. His times are not always ours, but they are always right, for which I give thanks tonight.