Keep it Real Wednesday
August 14, 2019
Behind the scenes, Landon Donovan
Rosemary asked me to write todays blog together about her experience on Saturday with Landon Donovan and the US National Arena Soccer Team.
Rosemary has been a huge fan of Landon for decades, the picture on the left is Rosemary wrapped in the American Flag watching Landon and the US Men’s team play in 2010. 9 years later, she is riding beside him on the blessing bike and singing the national anthem together side by side with all the players before the game.
THE FOLLOWING ARE ROSEMARYS WORDS…
“NOT EVERYONE HAS THE ABILITY TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE ELDERLY. WE CAN’T SEE VERY WELL, WE CAN’T HEAR VERY WELL, OUR WORDS ARE SOMETIMES JUMBLED, AND TAKES TIME TO LEAVE OUR MOUTHS. OUR BODIES DON’T WORK THE WAY WE INTEND AND WE ARE AREN’T GOOD LOOKING ANYMORE. BUT, NONE OF THAT MATTERED ON SATURDAY WHEN I MET LANDON DONOVAN, EVAN MCNELEY, KEVIN MILLIKEN AND THE ENTIRE TEAM OF THE US NATIONAL ARENA SOCCER TEAM. LANDON AND I TALKED LIKE HE WAS AN OLD FRIEND. HIS EYES LOCKED WITH MINE AND WE FOUND A SOUL CONNECTION DESPITE THE DIFFERENCE OF NEARLY 60 YEARS IN AGE. HE WAS KIND, GENTLE, HUMBLE AND VERY GENUINE. HE MADE ME FEEL IMPORTANT, WHOLE AND ALIVE. I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER THE MOMENT OF SITTING ON MY BIKE WHILE THE NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYED WITH LANDON DONOVAN STANDING BY MY SIDE. I WENT TO BED AT NIGHT AND COULD NOT DISTINGUISH IF IT WAS REAL OR A DREAM. WE ALL HEAR ABOUT THOSE MOMENTS IN LIFE THAT ARE IRREPLACEABLE. THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS AND I HAVE HAD A LOT OF MOMENTS IN NEARLY 93 YEARS. THIS WAS TRULY SPECIAL, AND HE IS TRULY A SPECIAL MAN.
I AM NOT ONE TO KISS AND TELL (AND YES, I DID KISS HIM ON HIS CHEEK) SO I WON’T SHARE OUR CONVERSATION, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE LAST THING LANDON SAID TO ME WAS “SEE YOU NEXT YEAR ROSEMARY”.
SO, SEE YOU NEXT YEAR LANDON. IF FOR SOME REASON I GET TO HEAVEN BEFORE THEN, I WILL WATCH OVER YOU FROM HEAVEN LIKE ONE OF MY OWN”.
