Have A Little Faith in We

Hey friends! Who has their boots on and cute coats at the front of the closet?? Yup, me too…. Fall is here!! In the Bessette world this means the official start of another hockey season is upon us! If you follow us on social media then you know hockey never really is off…. in the spring it’s “spring league” and then summer time they hold work outs…. BUT our world doesn’t really become hockey crazy until right about now as tryouts wrap up this week!

Danny has been coaching hockey on and off since we started dating, but it wasn’t until he become an assistant coach at Bishop O’Connell High School, our alma mater, that it become an official part of our world. When Danny was really sick and life was slow and frustrating, hockey gave him an incredible outlet for connecting with others and the necessary motivation to push himself out of bed. Since he couldn’t work, this was a way to continue to practice skills of management, organization, and building relationships. You don’t know what a big part of a young adults life that is until it’s gone….  but most importantly over his 5+ years coaching, Danny has come to love the game and its players – of all ages and skills- with a passion that has given life to our whole family.

We have spent hours talking about the kids, Danny sharing his specially crafted plays, and planning our calendar around the hockey schedule. We have enjoyed tournaments, included friends, and had many meals that were full of pure energy from a fun night at the rink.

Our Christmas holiday is complete with the annual Purple Puck. And honestly, I do really look forward to a whole week that I am able to be in the prescenece of Coach Danny. I recently read an article about the importance of being able to watch your spouse work. That to truly enjoy and appreciate them you need a front row to their aspirations. For years of illness it can be hard to remember we are husband and wife before caregiver and patient… but not when it comes to hockey. At the rink he just coach and I am the coaches wife… it has given us a sense of normalcy in the middle of some really tough stuff.

As Danny heads back to work full time and chases his dreams of a career we weren’t even sure would be possible, hockey will likely lose a bit of the focus. We hope this isn’t forever… and the way Danny’s eyes light up, I know we will never truly leave this life…. but for now I want to be grateful for all this part of our world has brought to us and enjoy the season we have coming up.

Danny, I love to be part of all your life…. but coaches wife has been truly one of my favorites. And I am grateful you want to include me as often as you do in this part of your world that could so easily be focused more on the guys and bar nights post hockey stuff. It has been a valued part of our story and I am excited to see what comes next with hockey and the Bessettes!

Thank you so much for reading and remember to make it a great day!

Jackie