April 2, 2020: Best daughters ever

In our years at 601 Oak Farm Court (1995-2018), we had a regular late September expedition to the north, where we'd pick our Halloween pumpkins gourds and flowers at this historic farmhouse, followed by more farmer's market shopping and a light meal at Brown's Market, north of Shrewsbury. Jane and Gaby were always with us, at least until they went off to college and were not in town for the event. And it was an event, a ritual, where we would share stories of the past year with the older couple who owned the farm, gathered bountiful free chestnuts, occasionally picked out some Indian corn and perhaps a bale of hay, take a few pictures, and prepare our home for Halloween.

This time was always special to me and, I believe, to Dena and the girls. But not as special or as dear to my heart as our two wonderful daughters, with all there wonderful growth and accomplishments during the twenty years they called 601 Oak Farm Court home.

They were special from the start. Easy on our nights as infants, easy to 'potty train,' quick to take up reading, delightful in their singing and dancing, full of bewilderment each year at Christmas, angelic in public (and private). Never a fight, never a spanking and probably never a harsh word.

They mastered school quickly, took to their assignments, maintained curiosity, developed great study habits, and appreciated the special gifts they had and received from teachers first at St Joseph and then at Notre Dame Prep. Seeing them in uniform daily for thirteen years of K-12 education is probably how I will picture them in my mind for the rest of my life. I always note that those years were 'the best years of my life,' being a dad, a coach, a tutor, a mentor.

And they were athletic at a young age, especially in soccer and basketball. Jane won a soccer championship when she was twelve (or so), was a dominant force on the basketball court, often scored more than half her teams points, was recruited to play AAU basketball, and later took up running after two significant knee injuries crippled her basketball career. Gaby was a dominant player in soccer and basketball, from LTRC to CYO to middle school NDP. Many times her coach would basically have her team mates clear the court for Gaby to have room to show her skills. In one CYO game, she scored every point for her St Joseph team. [Okay, the other team did score an 'own basket' to add to the St Joe point total]. She was recruited to play travel soccer after being a real hero with her rec team, once clinching a win with a final penalty kick after a tie score in a playoff semi-final. Her LTRC travel team won 90% of their games and several tournaments.

Yet all this pales in comparison to the way they grew, matured, led and developed into world class scholars and people. While markedly different in many respects, they both excel at their different worlds. Gaby is a math major; Jane studied international affairs and Spanish. Or as Gaby would note that while she is 'south campus' at UCLA, Jane would have been north campus at UCLA. When Jane was accepted for both international relations and sustainable development at St Andrews and Edinburgh, I pictured her studying four years in Scotland. I could not imagine Gaby having an interest in Scotland, and she did not apply there when her time came. Then again, I can't imagine Jane at UCLA, just I could not imagine Gaby at Marquette. Nor could I imagine either of them studying at Loyola. Two very different paths, two very different lives, and both with very special stories, accomplishments, and plans for their future.

No greater joy can a dad have -- at any age -- than the joy of these two daughters.