Quite Possibly the Best Thank You, Ever

 Hi Friends--

I admit it;  I am a total sucker for thank you notes.  I adore them. In fact, handwritten notes of any kind make my heart smile.  Last Saturday night, I received a thank you unlike any I have ever received.  The thank you came from Alex and his parents.  I have coached Alex for the last 5 1/2 years--he is one of my original swimmers from the very first team I coached.  He has followed me from Snowfox to Blue Phoenix to Big Pigeons.  I have worked with him in the water and on deck.  We carpooled together for pretty much every practice until he got his license.  We've travelled to away meets together.  We've trained together in the off-season.  He watched me detox from Diet Coke (needless-to-say, he will probably never develop a soda addiction), and I watched him recover from meningitis.  Without a doubt, we've spent a whole lot of time together.  And you know what?  I have enjoyed each and every minute of it.  I have watched Alex grow from a near-silent pre-teen to the leader he is today.

Alex is heading to University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall.  Alex and his parents hosted the thank you dinner to honor all the people who made a difference in his life over the years.  They invited his Godmother, Shirley, his cello teacher, Chuck, (who is also his uncle), the man who supervised his volunteer projects at the nature center for the past 4 years, Sean, who coached Alex with me at Snoxfox and Blue Phoenix, and myself.  They hired a chef and served us an out-of-this-world dinner.  Alex went around the table and explained why each person was invited.  Then his dad went around the table and talked about how thankful he was for the role each of us played in Alex's life.  There was plenty of laughter and shared Alex stories.  At the end of the night, we were all handed a gift.  Alex and his parents created a photo collage for each of us, filled with pictures and quotes.  We each also received a handwritten note:

Greatest. Thank you note. Ever!

Thanks for a lovely evening, Alex, Sarah, and Dane. It has been nothing short of fantastic coaching and mentoring Alex over the years.  I know wherever his future takes him, Alex is going to find success;  he's just that fabulous.

XO,

Vicki