Eighteen years ago, my wife was still pregnant with our second daughter. I never would have imagined that I could ever call that daughter a “dawg.” Now I can. And I can do it with a grin and a heart full of pride. As of yesterday, my daughter has signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) for the 2006-2007 academic year. She will be a proud SIU Saluki.
Like always, there were a couple of hiccups in the process. Apparently, the staff at SIU expected the paperwork right after 7:00 AM. But Dana didn’t sign until 3:00 PM. I think she was supposed to sign the originals in the morning and sign a copy later. But since no one gave us that guidance, we probably gave the coaches at SIU some unintended fear, uncertainty and doubt. But once Dana signed everything, it was faxed by her high school coach. And everything turned out well.
Dana was surrounded by her family, her coaches, her teammates and her friends. I can’t think of a better way we could have told her just how proud we are. We are proud of what she has done. And we are proud of what she will do – both in high school and in college. And we are proud of the confident woman that she has become.
As I thought about everything that was happening, I knew God had His hand on her heart and her spirit. She is a dedicated and extraordinary young woman. And I hope she knows just how much we love her and support her. I pray that she will dedicate all that God has given her to His service.
Congratulations, Dawg!
-CyclingRoo-
