Greetings from South Bend. I have been here for the past four days, attending Monogram Club meetings, celebrating a reunion to celebrate 60 years of black athletes at Notre Dame (a Monogram Club-sponsored event), filming a video for the University that will air in the Fall - and enjoying some personal time with old and new friends.

As always, my first stop on campus was to visit Meghan’s grave site. It is a quiet place for me to reflect and reconnect with what I love most about Notre Dame: the family, faith and friendships that grew from my time here. I believe that the athletes who returned for their reunion felt the same way: grateful for the opportunity and invitation to reconnect with what they love about Notre Dame. I know when we celebrated 35-years of women’s athletics at ND two years ago that many of my teammates felt the same way. There is something comforting about returning to your roots, returning to a place that was so fundamental in our development as adults. This is also some of what I spoke about in the video I filmed for the University.

I will share in my next post more details of my two-day Monogram Club meetings, and what the Club means to me, but first I want to thank two special people for having dinner with me on Wednesday night. Kevin and Mark.

The acknowledgements section of my book reads in part: To Trooper Kevin Kubsch and all those who gave their time, hearts and jackets to us on that fateful night, I thank you.

Kevin and Mark were two of the officers who were first on the scene of our bus accident. 17 years later I had the opportunity to thank them, and to learn from them. It was clear from our dinner that they both gave to us their time - and their hearts. Both expressed the impact that night has had on their lives; neither has seen anything like it in their professional lives since. Listening to them recount the evening from their viewpoint, I was in awe of these men. They might say the same about me, but Kevin and Mark represent the beginning of the goodness…the goodness that has surrounded me since the night of the accident.

To Trooper Kevin Kubsch, Mark Fedder, and all those who gave their time, hearts and jackets to us on that fateful night, I thank you.