Letting Go

 When Ben and Logan came to live with me and Colleen in El Dorado Hills, I immediately got them involved in Soccer. Ben and Logan both played on the Bumblebees and wore the number 38 on their reversible shirts as did everyone on the team. Made things simpler. I'm amazed that I still have two full outfits. I never seemed to be able to find all the pieces on game day. On occasion, cut off pajamas served as shorts, fortunately, they were the right color.

 Ben out on the pitch. I'm surprised to see him there as he usually played goalie, his favorite position. He liked it because the ball rarely came his way and he could pursue his observations of the bugs in the grass without too much interruption.

 Coach Simon Eccles, a wonderful man. He and his wife Pam were so good and encouraging to me in the early years.

  

And this banner from the first season of little league T ball. I made the banner, not knowing that everyone else would spring for professionally made ones. I still think I like my hokey homemade one better that the ubiquitous print shop banners. Ben is at four o'clock and Logan is at one o'clock in the circle of marlin(s?) around the boat containing the coaches.

This is all that remains of the Marlin uniforms. Again, Ben and Logan played on the same team, making it much easier on a stressed grandma who didn't have to trundle off to two separate sets of practices and games.

Logan wanders around the field, hoping to escape notice of the coach. Both boys hated playing T ball.

Here's a school shirt from Lake Forest School ("A California Distinguished School"  in case you can't read the smaller print) where Ben attended through fourth grade and Logan through the second grade.  All these treasures are going in the trash. I'm having a hard time parting with them, but don't think hanging on to them makes much sense. I tried to imagine how I would feel if my mother handed me a bunch of clothes from my childhood years and immediately saw the point in throwing them out, just keeping the pictures and the memories.