Yesterday was an emotional day.
It was the first day of school for two of my children, Chris & Grace. Grace is finally potty-trained and she literally told me, “OKAY YOU CAN GO NOW MOMMY!” as she got out of my SUV. Yes I cried and yes I worry while both of them are away. Sean B starts his Senior year on tomorrow and I am already tearing up.
Yesterday I had calls scheduled and two of them ended up being interviews. One company told me I didn’t have enough experience and the other company told me I was overqualified. Those calls should’ve been emails because honestly I didn’t want to hear I was either one of these things over the phone.
Yesterday was also #DTDay :(
Last December, DeMaryius Thomas passed away from suffocation after having a seizure. He was 33 years old. When I received a text message from a mutual friend about his passing that night I began to feel my body shake. I’ve shared before that I don’t understand death sometimes and this was one of those moments where I had questions for God so I needed Jesus to be on the mainline.
DeMaryius Thomas, also known as Bay-Bay, was one of the most loving & caring football players I had ever met.
Early August in Canton, Ohio was were we would last see each other face to face. Peyton Manning was getting inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with Charles Woodson & GA Tech Alum Calvin “Megatron” Johnson.
Bay-Bay told me that he was proud of how I bounced back from my health crisis & troubled pregnancy. He told me that he was most proud of the way I spoke out about the seizures I had and how I was never afraid to be vulnerable online. We hugged & laughed about a few things after that, but I told him that I loved him and I wanted him to take care of himself. I’ve always said that to Bay-Bay no matter where I saw him (the club, events, after football games), but this time it felt different saying those words to him. He was preparing for his second act in life, he was excited yet confused about what was next and we didn’t know that months later he would leave this earth.
What’s so heartbreaking about this is how most people (like him) who may suffer in silence give so much love to others. If you know DeMaryius’s story then you know he loved his family, giving back to his communities & football. Meeting DeMaryius on campus at Georgia Tech (2007) was one of the most memorable moments I have about living in Atlanta. It was so random, so much fun and eventually he would inspire me to do a lot in sports media.
Yesterday Peyton Manning was in Atlanta to help celebrate the inaugural DeMaryius Thomas day and he presented two GA Tech football players with DeMaryius A Thomas scholarships. To have Peyton in the city of Atlanta says a lot about the type of person Bay-Bay was. I remember seeing them play together and I’ll never forget how I felt like DeMaryius really made it because he was playing with the GOAT.
Yesterday was emotional, but it also reminded me to live in the moment. To remain present for the ones I love and to make sure that in all things I stay focused on what’s important in life. Hurricane Chris has a song called, “A Bay Bay”, and of course it isn’t about DeMaryius lol. I played this song on repeat for about an hour late last night because I wanted to remember that moment when he & I met at GA Tech. This made me smile and it helped my body process that Bay-Bay is no longer here. My body doesn’t shake when I think about his death, but I realized I am still grieving his death & others that I lost last year.
If you read all of this know that I appreciate you for taking the time to do so & I challenge you to love up on your people. This can be family, friends, associates, co-workers, teammates, students, neighbors… WHOEVER! With so much going on in the world today we all need someone to care & show us that there are still good people on this earth. Please don’t be afraid to speak up about what you need, because I need you to survive.
We lost a great guy and I pray that he knows how much we all still love him… “A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay” Rest in peace champ. 8/8