At a kindergarden school function, grandson Ben was dressed like Albert Einstein and explained a poster describing Einstein’s life and accomplishments. Other students had similar exhibitions. As we walked around talking to the students, we noticed one tall, well-built man talking to each child. He knelt in front of each one, looked him/her in the eye and spoke softly. We talked about the wonderful contact he made with the children. Later, we discovered he was Brian Goldman.
After a few years, Brian became both of our grandson’s coach at a nearby swim club. While he was a serious coach and produced outstanding swim teams, his manner of interacting with his young swimmers made him special. They loved him, respected him and kept improving.
We got to know Brian, his wife, Michele and their two sons, Ben and Jared, at parties hosted by Jennifer, our daughter, and Peter, our son-in-law. While Brian was a prominent physician in Raleigh, to me he was always Coach Brian.
During his bout with cancer, I had the urge to offer to be with him during his ordeal. I didn’t make the offer. I reasoned he had hundreds of friends near his age who would be with him.
Now, I wished I had reached out.
Coach Brian, Rest in Peace.
Seasoned Man
stevelem117@gmail.com
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