Recently my niece sent me a picture of her youngest daughter on Instagram. Brittany was dressed in a sparkly maroon uniform with an equally sparkly maroon flag in her hand. She was a bit disappointed that this year had been abbreviated by the Covid 19 because she loved being in color guard and performing all those intricate routines.

Color guard! Oh, what memories that picture brought back. I was never in band or color guard when I was going to school, but I was a color guard mom. My daughter joined the marching band in her freshman year and loved it so much that she continued all four years until graduation. After my hip replacement, I went to most of her games. I even rode the school bus to some of the games and competitions. (Only the football and basketball players had the privilege of riding on a nice charter bus.)

My daughter, like most who are in band, was not a half-hearted participant. She was all in. The assistant band director at McMinn County High was an excellent leader and worked with the girls, encouraged them, and made them feel an important part of the marching band.

As I sat on the bleachers and watched, I was amazed at the intricate moves, the throws, the steps, and maneuvers. She was captain of the color guard during her senior year and I saw a maturity and depth of leadership that I knew would help her in the years ahead. Of course, her being the color guard captain made me the color guard mom whose job it was to make sure the flags were on the field before a football game and that the color guard participants had plenty of water and snacks.

She was so talented, and enjoyed it so much, that after graduation my daughter spent a year as color guard advisor at nearby Meigs County High School. These days, I do not watch a parade now where I don’t fondly study the color guard as they go through their routines.

Susan Kite is the author of five published books with the sixth, Moon Crusher, debuting on May 25th. Find out more at www.bookscape.net