Lucky Kid

Tonight we took Drew and his friend Jason to a charity hockey game in Newark. Rutgers Medical School “Medwings  vs Bitewings” – (Doctors vs Dentists.) This year’s game supported Smiles Across Bangladesh, a fund that provides aid to children and adults afflicted with oral and maxillofacial disorders in Bangladesh. Friends of ours have a son who we have known since he was a little kid. That little kid, is now a doctor and plays for the Medwings so we go to support him and the charity.

Drew looks forward to this game every year, partly because it is fun but mostly because of “Chuck a Puck.” This year, he was a winner again and so was his friend!

For those of you who don’t follow Drew’s lucky sport streak, it is a bit uncanny. He has caught or won so many things I have lost track! He has a World Series ball, 1995 team signed NJ Devils stick, game worn Devils jerseys, baseball cards, broken baseball bats from when he was a BatBoy with the Newark Bears, too many baseballs to count, and so many game used hockey sticks, we could build a small shed in the yard with them. At least three New York Giants have given him their gloves after games ….and after tonight, he has a team signed NY Islanders cap to add to his collection.

Somehow tonight some of that luck rubbed off on his buddy who won an autographed hockey puck but as for my puck, which I had him toss for me, that of course was not a winner.We have tried giving him money to buy us lottery tickets, but unfortunately the luck doesn’t transfer to us. Maybe when he’s old enough to buy lottery tickets of his own someday, he will remember us when he is a big winner!!

Let’s Go Devils

When I left for work this morning I had no idea that I’d be headed to a hockey game tonight with three teenaged boys. Since my dad and brothers are away in Florida, my dad’s season tickets were supposed to be split between my sister’s family and mine. We had Tuesday’s game which was postponed due to the blizzard. My sister wound up working late and her kids didn’t want to go, so I took Drew and two friends.

I hadn’t been to a game all season, but I threw on my Ken Daneyko #3 game worn jersey – my favorite and possibly most expensive article of clothing, and we headed to the game. The Devils wore their “retro” jerseys, the green, red and white, so my old jersey fit right in.

The Devils have been playing terribly this season. One of their worst in a very long time. Maybe it was the old jerseys, or maybe I was the good luck charm because they won 6-2! I don’t know if they’ve scored that many goals in a game all season!

Drew doesn’t think it was me that brought the good luck, but at least for a few hours he may have considered me the fun mom again. I am sure it won’t last so I will take it when I can get it!

Stretching His Wings

DJ and my dad have always had a close relationship.  My dad was a huge help with his child care when he was very young and they did everything together.  Sports are their common bond.  My dad has season tickets to the New York Giants and the New Jersey Devils which allows DJ the opportunity to get to many games! Lots more than we ever went to when we were kids.

As we get closer to DJ graduating and leaving for college, I have noticed him pulling away more from my dad which I know is causing some friction.  He is much more social with friends and sports as well, but we are more open to this, whereas my dad doesn’t understand why he doesn’t want to spend as much time with him.  Perhaps it is a generational “thing.”  My dad was pretty strict and rigid with rules, curfews and where and when we could go when we were growing up.  Dave’s parents were not.  Dave and I have sort of met in the middle as parents, giving DJ the chance to have his independence as long as he proves to us that he is being responsible. So far, he has 🙂 DJ has never been a rebellious child.  He’s our easy one!

We are actually happy that he has become more social and independent. I was worried about this for awhile – thinking it might be difficult when he went off to college.  This doesn’t worry me anymore.  Perhaps this is why he is not rebelling with us in the way I am noticing him act out with my dad.

When he leaves for college in the Fall, I am going to be weepy, I am going to miss him, but I also know that he is going there ready and prepared socially and this makes me feel confident that he will do fine. For my dad, it will be like he is losing his best friend.  He is already asking him how often he will come home for games and how far he plans on going away.

I get angry at DJ when I hear the tone in his voice when he speaks to my dad on occasions but at the same time I understand because my dad did the same thing to me.  He cares deeply for his family.  It is the most important thing in the world to him.  He allowed me to go away to college and I did great. I flourished. It was my first time away from home and I needed that independence to create the person I am today.  I am happy to see DJ doing the same thing….even earlier than I did.

DJ will come home and visit.  New Jersey might not be where he winds up though and I am prepared for that. Our family is a bit of an oddity in this regard, all of us living within ten miles of one another.

We cannot foresee the future.  What ever happens, will happen for a reason.

Loved

Tonight, as a perk for being a season ticket holder for over 20 years, my dad was given a suite to watch the game from.  It has been a year of perks for him from the Devils.  Drew and my nephew Mikey got to ride a zamboni, DJ got to follow the production team around one game, Drew got to press the starting horn of a game….there have been a lot of perks.

This weekend the Devils are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of winning their first Stanley Cup.  We were lucky enough to have been at that game!!  One of the most amazing things to witness in person!!

In the suite next to ours tonight, were many of those alumni players – sitting right there.  We were all a bit star struck.  John Maclean, Scott Niedermayer, Colin White, Randy McKay, Bruce Driver, Brian Ralston, Mike Peluso and a quick drop in by my all-time favorite, Ken Daneyko.

All of them were nice enough to let us take some photos and several of them talked to us about the “old times” and how great it was to watch that team play together.  Mike Peluso was posing for selfies and being silly with my brothers and kids.

We only had our phones with us for photos, so the photos aren’t the greatest but they are fun and gave us new memories from our favorite “old” team.

We loved this team then, and watching my own children love hockey and The New Jersey Devils the way I did when I was their age, has been so much fun to see!  So for today’s photo prompt, the word is LOVED. This photo of my brother and Mike Peluso (although snapped super fast so the clarity is not great, ) might just describe the love for the team without words!

Two Teenagers

Today is Drew’s birthday.  I am officially the mom of TWO teenagers now.  How is that possible?  I don’t feel old enough to have two teens in my house! We woke him with our traditional rendition of “Happy Birthday” the way my mom used to sing it to us.  Dave went and got him Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and he’s opened a few little presents.

He pulled out the advent calendar piece for the day….which was a yellow duck.  Drew doesn’t know it but Dave plans it that way so that when the duck appears, it is like a Happy Birthday message coming from my mom.

It is Friday, so he’s off to school in a few minutes, but tonight, he is bringing some friends to a New Jersey Devils game to celebrate turning 13.  He is so excited.  Last year, he went to a game with my dad the night before his birthday and wound up on The NHL Network! He finds himself on that jumbo tron all of the time…I wonder if it will happen again tonight?!?!

Happy Birthday Drew!! You give us so many reasons to smile 🙂

Hard to be a Sports Fan

Sometimes being a sports fan is a difficult job.  When your teams are winning, it’s easy.  When they’re not, it’s hard to remain loyal.  What is especially hard is when ALL of your teams are on a losing path.  It would be one thing if just The New York Giants weren’t playing well, but add to that a dismal record for The New Jersey Devils and the losing season for The New York Mets and we have a houseful of disappointed fans.

We won’t give up on them.  We will keep cheering them on, even when they bring home those losses.  Instead, we will cheer on the amazing moments from the games – like last night’s thrilling catch by Odell Beckham Jr who truly caught one of the most amazing grabs I think I have ever seen.

Yet still, we still watch.  We love the games, we love the players.  I am known for getting mad, angry and shouting at the television when they lose but I have also cried when they have won.  I was at a final game of The Stanley Cup Finals when the Devils pulled off the victory.  When no one expected them to win.  We still believed in them.

Standing by and watching these losses only makes it that much more worthwhile when they win!

So Proud of You

Last night my boys went to the NJ Devils game with my dad. When they got home, DJ said, “Drew, are you going to tell mom what you did at the game tonight?”  I replied, ‘Uhoh, what…” and DJ said, “No mom, it is good!”  We all laughed and Drew got embarrassed and told me this story,

You know how I always go up to the glass for warm ups?  Well, I went there tonight and I was hoping that a player would toss me a puck after practice.  There was this kid standing near me who had special needs and he was wearing a Toronto jersey.  He reminded me of that girl we saw at The Newark Bears Game.  That was the kind of special needs he was.  Well, he wanted a puck so badly but he didn’t get one and I guess he got tired of standing there because he and his dad went back to their seats.  Then, I got a puck and I went over and gave it to him instead of keeping it. The kid was so happy!  Later, the dad and the kid came over to our seats and thanked me.  At the end of the game, I went up to where the referees leave the ice and NJ, (the Devils mascot,) tossed me the game puck!

I was so proud I nearly cried.  DJ was just nodding his head the whole time telling me that really happened.  My dad told me how proud he was of him.  I had to share it – I was so filled with joy that he had done such a generous thing.  For anyone who knows him, he is a collector and giving up a puck was probably not the easiest thing for him!!  I shared the story on Facebook before I left for work this morning.  I got home this evening and found that there were just under 200 likes and almost 50 comments about it!  Comments saying others were going to pay it forward today after reading it.  Comments about how he is growing up into such a kind young man.  Comments about how Dave and I “must be doing something right!”

He and I just read the comments together and he is embarrassed – self-conscious perhaps, but I can tell he is pleased with himself.  It is so nice watching him grow into such a kind hearted boy.  Many of the comments mentioned “great parenting.”  I had great role models to follow, and now my children are following in those footsteps as well.  We talk all the time about how easy it is to do the right thing and last night, Drew demonstrated that perfectly.

Happy Birthday Drew

12 years ago right now, I was in labor with Drew.  It was a total surprise, as he four weeks early and not due till mid-January!!  He was born at 11:37 in the evening.  It was a whirlwind of a day and Drew hasn’t stopped since!

Drew is a bundle of energy.  Reserved and quiet at school but at home or with friends and family, the complete opposite.  He loves to make people laugh and has a great sense of humor.  He also has a temper!!  (much like his mom.)  He and I are similar in so many ways, it is a bit uncanny!

Drew is an original!  Every time he goes to a sporting event, he finds a way to get on the jumbo tron, or chosen for a contest.  Even last night!  We let him go to a hockey game with my dad since it was the night before his birthday.  My dad has season tickets so we let him go to most weekend games.  A friend sent me an message asking if Drew was there because she was sure she had seen him on the big screen!  Sure enough, it was him dancing around.  He was known as, “the dancing kid” for awhile because he got up on the jumbo tron so many times one season!  This morning, DJ was watching NHL Network and who’s photo pops up on the show but Drew’s.  DJ tweeted it and by the end of the day, it had been retweeted by Ken Daneyko, (a former NJ Devil – now MSG correspondent- but most importantly, my all time favorite Devil) and a few other NHL Newtwork guys! So typical.  He was photo bombing before it became a trend!

Tonight we will head over to my grandma’s.  We do this every year.  All the cousins come and we decorate her tree and celebrate Drew’s birthday.  Drew says it is one of his favorite days of the year.  He always likes to be the life of the party so being the center of attention just makes his day complete!

A Losing Streak

It is so hard to stay positive when your team is on a losing streak!  In my family though, we are loyal fans.  We stick by our teams and don’t stray no matter how poorly they are doing.  In the 80’s our NJ Devils were often one of the last place teams in The NHL.  They were even referred to as, “A Micky Mouse Organization,” by Wayne Gretzky, (although he took that comment back a few years later.)  Yet, we still went to game after game to root them on hoping for a winning season and the pay off was great!  Three Stanley Cups later, The Devils are a team to be proud of.

This year our woeful team is The New York Giants.  Ugh, today they lost their fifth game of the season.  With a record of  0-5~ they have had a losing season from the start.  All over the news and internet, there are negative comments about the team and how they are playing.  They went into today’s game down 0-4, but still, my dad, brothers and DJ went off to the game in full Giants regalia with the hopes of a win.  The Giants kept it close…for awhile, but still could not pull off the win.

Losing means, “to be defeated,” and it  is extremely easy to feel negatively about the players and team as the losses pile up.  I am completely guilty of doing this.  I take it personally and complain about the team or players and how I would change things if I were the coach.  Ironic, since I have played very few organized sports in my entire life.

Part of what makes following a particular team is the tradition.  Whether it is hearing their fight songs, dressing in their team colors, or cheering your team on with your family… it keeps us connected and that’s important.

But, as all good sport fans do, we continue to support our teams.  We get discouraged and we get disappointed, but still, we go and we watch and we cheer for our teams.  We all try to stay positive and hope for a win.  There are still 11 football games to play this season.  We could still end with a winning record!  At least we can hope!  Or we could think like DJ, who says, “if we keep on losing and come in last place, at least we will get the first round draft pick!”  Way to think positively DJ.  I need to work on an attitude like that.

Unexplainable…

I attended another wake this afternoon.  This one was for another young woman who died too soon.  Meghan was a student from the first school I taught at.  I actually taught her brother, but the school was small, the families were close and everyone knew each other.  She was 25 and her death was sudden.

As I sit here right now, I am trying to remember what I can about her.  The Meghan I remember was a sweet little blonde girl with a huge personality!  She was a leader and had so many friends.  Her brother Teddy, who was in my class, was more quiet and reserved but you could tell that he adored his sister.  Their family was tight knit and I knew her mom well from her volunteering in the school.

I hadn’t seen the family that often since I left that school sixteen years ago, other than in occasional meetings in town or at church, yet I felt compelled to go to her wake today and offer my condolences to them.   When I got there, the line of visitors was already out the door.   Hundreds and hundreds of photos filled the funeral home and in every one of them, friends and family surrounded her.  Exactly how I had remembered her when she was a little girl and in everyone of those photos, she wore an enormous smile.  Her beauty radiated from within as she proved to be the sunshine that I remembered from elementary school.

As I greeted her mom, who was standing there like the pillar I remembered her to be, she comforted me, as much as I did her.  She offered me condolences for my mom and Francine as I offered mine to her.  She told me that my blog has helped her during this incredibly sad time.  I cannot even put into words how much that meant to me.

I greeted her brother, who has probably not seen me since he was in Kindergarten, and asked him if he remembered me.  He said, “Of course I do Mrs. Sinclair, you are the reason I am a Devils’ Fan”.   Again, nearly moving me to tears.

As teachers, we might only get these children for one year, and perhaps never see them again, but they remain in our hearts for the rest of their years, as we hope, dream and wish for them to grow into confident, happy adults.

Meghan will be missed but from the incredible show of support I saw today, she will never be forgotten.