About a month ago, my sister asked me if I could take today off so I could drive down to northern Virginia and see my niece’s gynmastics class. It was a special family day, and she thought I’d enjoy it and that my niece would enjoy having me there. I’d get to see my niece takes tumbles, and I’d get to meet Coach Marty, my niece’s gynmastics coach.
Unfortunately, I had to decline. Taking today off didn’t fit my work schedule, and I couldn’t have known at the time she asked how true that would be. (It’s a week of deadlines, and I’ve worked late at the office every day this week, written at home until midnight each night, and gotten up early to write even more before breakfast. Publishing schedules have to be met.)
I checked Facebook on my lunchtime, and I saw that my sister had posted a status update.
Coach Marty passed away earlier this week.
My niece adored Coach Marty. When I’d ask her about gynmastics, she’d talk about Coach Marty and how he always called her “silly.” I never met him, but he was important to my niece, he helped a lot of kids, he touched lives, and that was what really mattered.
Time for happier thoughts.
As seen on io9, Mr. Rogers is autotuned and remixed into a fun and surprisingly moving music video by John D. Boswell, the genius behind the Symphony of Science: