Hope

Hope

Mom wakes me up for school with her sing-song voice.

"Another day, Honey," she assures me with a gentle pat on my leg as the sun peeks through the blinds she's opened.

Surprised that the sun is shining today, I get out of bed and go to the bathroom. As soon as I glimpse my reflection in the mirror, I see the ball pop out of my glove and hit the grass. I rub the palm of my left hand as it remembers the force of a ball it couldn't keep hold of.

As I pack my softball bag, I wonder if my friends still think I'm the worst teammate of all teammates.

Bzzz Bzzz, I look at my phone that's come to life.

"SO excited! New season, Sof," my BFF's words flood me with relief! Maybe my memory only haunts me?

I reply, "Woo hoo!" Thankful for second chances.

———————

I have taken a month off my blog to focus on a HUGE edit of my book. It’s more a rewrite than a revision at this point and Miles is shining even brighter as my favorite fictional character of all time! I’ve found lately that my only well of creativity is for Miles, Cav, Sofia, and Blue Eagle Elementary, so blog writing has taken a bit of a back seat, until today.

Over the past few months, I’ve entered the world of writing contests. Thus far, they have been geared toward Miles and his adventures, but today, I found a writing contest that is a little different. Today’s contest challenged the contestants to write a 150-word or less story, with a beginning, middle, and end, and post it to their blog. It needs to be written for a Middle-Grade audience, 12 years old or under, and inspired by a spring GIF of your choosing. If you know 12-year-old me, then you know softball was my favorite signal to spring. I hope you enjoyed my short story and I hope you also enjoy the hope that spring always brings.

Leaving behind the cold and barren winter, looking forward to the warm hope of new possibilities in spring always comes as a relief to me. Winter does not last forever. Seasons of emptiness make way for seasons of plenty. As Easter approaches this weekend, I am eternally thankful for the second chance Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection bring to my life. He is Risen, are the three biggest hope-filled words one can imagine. May your springs be full of life-giving renewal!