Not just your average week; honoring the matriarch

It is a beautiful Sunday evening in Babson Park. I am enjoying a relaxing evening of jamming to a replay of the Electric Zoo show from New York. Yes, it is all electric music and man it thumps. The base pulsating through my house reminds me of my time I roomed with my buddy, Blake, and I would wake him up on Saturday morning with the base coming from his awesome system. Oh well, I digressed early in this little blog. Nonetheless it is nice to just listen to music and prepare for the week ahead. This week will be a microcosm of what it means to experience life. I just happen to be doing it this week. First, I get to have the experience of being a professional lecturer. Monday I will speak to a class at FSC about sport, character in sport, if everyone should be allowed to play sports, and whether sport teaches values and ethics. This should a lot of fun because I really enjoy all of these topics. If you know me we have had discussions on these multiple times. After being the speaker, later in the day the team and I will be spoken to by a nutritionist. This will be pretty cool because she wants to help the guys become more aware of what they are putting in their bodies and when to do it. It is nice when people are willing to go above and beyond to help others reach goals. Following those two academic pursuits I’ll actually go do my real gig and work with my team. Labor Day really is that for me. It’s actually fun so you will hear no complaints from me. Michelle and Brianna get to enjoy a much deserved day off and will spend some time on the trail with their horses. Tuesday and Wednesday are the most normal days of the week for me. Teaching class, working with the team and doing barn stuff in the evening are the norm these days so that will be good. Thursday will be, by far, the oddest, hardest, and most rewarding day I will have had in awhile. It will start early with some academic pursuits. First thing in the morning my wellness class will delve into a riveting discussion about nutrition, tongue firmly in cheek, then they will work on their fitness with an exhilarating workout. A couple hours after that, I will hand out the first test to my Effective Coaching class and leave. I will be leaving to the latter of the three above descriptions. As a family and surrounded by friends we will celebrate the life of Memaw, the matriarch of the Heath family. We have chosen to celebrate her life instead of mourning her loss because she would be pissed if we did it any other way. For those that knew her she was the boss and we did it her way. I am sure there will be sadness but hopefully most of the tears will be for remembering the good times. I am honored to be one of her grandchildren and will make sure that her work will be continued within the family. Friday will be back to normal with tennis and barn. This upcoming weekend was supposed to be the kick-off of the FTR harescramble series but the first race has been cancelled. Oh well, I guess I will unveil my new number two weeks later. With a free weekend that wasn’t planned I guess I will actually get my yard mowed. I was not supposed to be in Babson Park during a weekend for over a month and half but plans change and I know how to fill empty space. The base is still thumping really hard with some amazing house beats, Michelle is putting together some new storage contraption, and Brianna went to spend the night with Ken and Ruthie, and my mind is swirling with all the words that I must put out in public over the next four days. The contemplation of what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and if to say it always weighs heavy on me and this week more so than others. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities this week brings and I know, because my Memaw told me in a letter over 13 years ago, my family will always support and love me through the toughest of times. As I go out tonight I leave you with this: Tell them you love them, hug them, answer when they call, and call when they don’t. Reach out to someone you care about, it may be exactly what you need.