Dear Reese,
Seven weeks now since we lost you, little Bub. We still miss you every single day. Good thing for us, your big/little sister Gracie is keeping us busy and on our toes each day. What I wouldn’t give to change a poopie diaper, but instead we’re constantly picking up poop off the floor and cleaning pee despite taking her out every couple of hours. I bet you’re looking down on us having a laugh, and I hope you’ll send us the strength to help her grow into a sweet pup who can hold her bowels and bladder. Your footprint that I got tattooed on my arm is healing nicely and looking good, and I’m glad I will always have it there to remind me of holding you. We still have to go to the funeral home to get your death certificate, and I know that will be brutal having to go back one last time. But at least we know we will have your remains with us forever. I know you’re healed and perfect now, but we miss you so much every day and I hope you could feel how much we loved you. We still do. And we always will. Keep showing us the way Reese, and please help Gracie learn to hold her pee and poop and to stop biting us so much!
Today is such a special day. It’s Thursday at The Masters, and Braves opening day where we get to raise a World Series banner! Under normal circumstances, today would most certainly be one of the best days of the year for me. Heck it still is, but thinking about Reese and counting off another week since we lost him brought me back to reality real fast today. In our relationship, I constantly remind Sudie of the things that we have to look forward to in our lives. We all need that. Opportunities to see friends, trips, a special occasion – today is most certainly one of those days for me. The Masters is one of my absolute favorite things in the world. I look forward to it and count down the days each year until the tournament starts.
Lucky for me, a close friend had access to an extra ticket for a practice round this year. Despite Gracie being a monster-ahem, I mean puppy- with all her nipping and being a landshark and jumping and 2 second attention span puppy exuberance, Sudie still gave me her blessing and encouraged me to drive over to experience Augusta National. And wouldn’t you know – it just happened to be on Tuesday when they kicked everyone off the course for the day at 11am due to weather. I didn’t even get to go to the store or walk around to see Amen Corner – probably my favorite place on this planet along with Paulson Stadium on game days.
As our friends in central and southeast Georgia were dealing with tornadoes, I got to drive back to Atlanta through terrible storms and then I missed being with Sudie at 6:37pm for the first time since Reese was born. But what a blessing – Augusta National is giving Tuesday ticket holders the opportunity to return next year. And my good friend has already given me the blessing to go again next year and we’ll plan an even bigger day out of it and hope for perfect weather. What do you know? Something to look forward to for the next year. The weather is clear, it’s going to be a great tournament, and the Braves are going to go 162-0 this year!
Despite the hole in our hearts, I’m going to enjoy the heck out of the next few days. Sudie is going to the John Mayer concert tomorrow night with a friend, so I’m thankful she also has something she is very much looking forward to experiencing. And most importantly, Easter is in 10 days. It’s my favorite holiday of the year, and my faith gives me a peace and a belief beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will see Reese again and get to hold his hand walking streets of gold. I hope it’s not for a long time, but it’s a belief I need to help me get through another day and another week – since the Masters is only one week each year. The conditions at Augusta National are perfect, the sky is a perfect blue, and hope springs eternal. And I know I will always have something to look forward to for the rest of my days. Thank you for that, Reese. We love you.
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