Sometime around midmorning, the text messages ramp up. They come from the same people on the same day each year, expressing the same tactful blend of compassion and heartbreak. Their arrival is as reliable as the spring harvest in Payne County, Okla.
“Thinking of you today.”
Rarely do the messages directly mention the occasion they honor. But their existence is a reminder all the same. So I take the first one as a cue to send out my own messages, always to the same group of people.
On Jan. 27, 2001, the Oklahoma State men’s basketball team lost at Colorado and was heading home amid a subpar season.