My friend, Emily, had a life motto: DO YOUR BEST.
She said it to her kids every day — before school, before a test, before a game or competition …
You get the point.
Emily was my original sideline sister. Even though our kids went to different elementary schools, her two boys were the same ages as my two boys and they played on the same rec league lacrosse teams together. That’s how we met, way back in 2010 (it may have been 2011—my memory is a little foggy due to my big age).
The boys became friends. Then Emily and I became friends. We sat together in the bleachers and stood next to each other on the sidelines. We occasionally took walks together. We carpooled. My boys knew her and her omnipresent expression well.
Emily passed away 4-1/2 years ago, but her memory and her motto live on for many of us. Since her passing, my boys have been writing DYB (the well-loved acronym for “Do Your Best”) or Emily’s initials and age (EM52) on their uniforms, helmets, cleats, even athletic tape — anywhere to remember her and her motto during the lacrosse season.
If you know me IRL or read this blog regularly, you know my oldest is still playing lacrosse, now at the college level. He religiously marks his gear with DYB in Emily’s honor. (She was a big fan of his and his game.) And if you read last week’s blog, you know my youngest, who had hung up his stick three years ago, came out of retirement a few weeks ago to finish out his high school athletic career playing lacrosse with many of the boys he started playing with twelve years ago. He, too, marks his gear with DYB.
Returning to the Unionville lacrosse sidelines is bittersweet for me. I’m happy to be reunited with some of my original sideline sisters, but there’s also a void now without Emily there. In an effort to fill that void in some small measure, we had DYB helmet stickers made in her honor, and dedicated the season to her memory.
Nine of the ten seniors grew up with Emily cheering for them from the sidelines. They knew her positive energy and her familiar “Do your best” pregame battle cry. With their DYB stickers visible for all to see, they’ve vowed to live up her motto for one last season together.
She may be gone, but she’s not forgotten. Em, this season is for you.
—LJDT
Thanks for keeping Emily’s memory and positive attitude alive. She loved watching all these guys doing their best on and off the field. I miss her everyday but stories like these help fill a little bit of the void she has left in my life. Thank you again, Lauren.
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I am one of Emily’s cousins and reading this I hear Emily’s laugh and see her great smile. 🥰That is how I remember her- happy, loving, and always positive.
What a nice tribute so many athletes give Emily.
What a great picture of some of you sideline girls.
Thank-you.
Thank you, Karin, for sharing your forever image of Emily smiling, and I’m glad the article touched you. She was a very special person who meant a lot to so many of us. I’m honored to share her memory and legacy.