Liz was clearly nervous.  And scared.  I think that the moment may be was a little overwhelming for her.  And neither of her parents will be there for her this week to help her through it.  She told me that she is a little scared.  She gave me a hug and held onto me for a minute.

As the hours and minutes and then seconds drew closer to her departure, I could see that she was getting more and more nervous.  It was wearing on her.

It was in this moment that I thought I should give her advice.  I told her that it does not matter to me how she performs.  It does not matter to me if she does well or she does poorly.  All that matters to me is that she tries her hardest and has a positive attitude.  I asked her if she was nervous when she played Diamonds the day before.  She said no.  I told her that a bunch of her teammates were nervous, and she was surprised.  She said that she doesn’t know anybody on her Brine Maryland team.  I told her that she knows Julia and Amber.  “Amber is on another team,” she said, “and Julia knows people.”  I told her that she may not see it, but all of the girls will be nervous.  And they are in the same boat.  She said that she wishes I was going with her.  I told her she can call me or mom any time.  She gave me another hug.

When she called me from the road a few hours later, she said again that she wishes I was with her.

I wanted so desperately to be there with her this week.  But it didn’t work out.  I have my own journey.  And I have my own obstacles and fears to overcome this week.  And I need to do my best as well.

I hope that, in her moments of fear and self-doubt, Liz finds the strength to overcome her fears.  I hope that she is able to perform to the best of her abilities.  And I hope that she can relax, be confident and have some fun.

For me, I hope that I am able to do the same.  Opportunities lie before me.  They are just out of reach, and I need to work hard to obtain them.

I hope that Liz and I both have good weeks.