If I could make just one wish for the entire world ... well, that’s a big decision with a lot of responsibility, and I’d have to pray and think about that one. A lot. But one of the contenders would be for all the kids in the world, regardless of their age, to have a great mom. Sadly, there will be people who will wake up Sunday morning and have no one to think about, or worse still, make a point to not think about their moms. I literally cannot imagine living that way, and thankfully I’ll never really know what that’s like. My wife, Tonya, might just be the best mom in the entire universe. Seriously. She works hard (but not tirelessly; working that hard makes a person tired regardless) to take care of our kids, and they won’t fully appreciate that until they make us grandparents. At least that’s the way it was between my mom, Judy, and I. To say Tonya and I had kids late in life is to say that pavement is hard. I know of very few who waited as long as we did, and still intentionally had kids. I’ve been accused of having a late-in-life accident, but rest assured there aren’t more intentionally born kids on the planet than ours. So my mom waited a little longer than usual to have grandsons. Fortunately, my sister and her husband came through with granddaughters who have grown into top-notch kids of their own. But not until you’ve done all the things moms do, and go through all the things, and fill those roles, and take on the pushing of boundaries and heatedly discussed the importance of a clean bedroom, can I fully appreciate what I put my mom through. Sorry, mom. I’m so glad you still love all us kids. Because with four of us, we each put you through something a little different. It might have been easier had we been the same; at least it would have been predictable. And my wife is my greatest helpmate and biggest fan. When I was a coach, she helped me by organizing the snacks for the entire season, and she sees things I don’t. When I was in sales, she helped me with all kinds of things, and I know those times when I was gone overnight were the hardest. As a writer, she’s helped me find story ideas and even helped me line up interviews. And with my life as a sports writer, I’m either missing dinner or taking off right after, leaving her to help the boys with their homework, and ... never mind, just writing down the list makes me tired. Tonya, I can never fully express how much I love you, but I sure do like trying. Thank you for marrying me. Among my life’s greatest gifts is the relationship my wife and mother have built over the years, but it always brings out my paranoia when I enter a room and they stop talking, look at me and smile. By the way, mom, never take up playing poker. Your face will give you away every time. As a guy privileged to see kids excel at sports, I see and meet a lot of moms who know exactly what sacrifices have gone in to making my job possible. OK, granted, no one gets up in the middle of the night to take their kids to a pre-dawn practice and thinks “that sports writer better appreciate this.” Please know I, and other sports writer parents like me, do not take that sacrifice lightly. Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there, but especially to the ones in my life.
