It was summer 2016. I remember it being a beautiful day, but whether it was hot, or cooler has long been forgotten. What I do remember is the energy in the air, it was like nothing I’d ever felt before. There wasn’t a storm on the horizon and the weather was pretty normal for summer. But something was different; something was changing.
I had agreed to play softball with some people from work. I was still confused how easily it was for them to convince me to sign up. After all, I’d never played softball other than at home with some of the neighbors. We had met up a couple of times to practice. I’d pushed myself to be good enough to play with some of the girls that had played all their lives. But I was older and not as fit as I once had been and sometimes it was a struggle to keep up. I surprised myself when I threw the ball, and it actually made it to where I was aiming. Shock from both the distance and the ability to fly straight.
Catching though is what surprised me the most. One of the girls shot a ball straight for me. It was like a cannon aiming for my chest. I could hear her gasp after she let it go and her brother in the background shouting, “Kim, you’ll kill her!’ But, to everyone’s amazement, I caught that ball. No one was more shocked than me. But I guess survival instinct kicked in. It was catch the ball or die.
A lot of that summer is blended all together, making it seem like on long softball game. I can’t remember anything else I did that year, but I remember playing softball. What I remember most is the friendship that developed with Kim – the one that tried to shoot a ball through my chest. I adored her strength and her power. And the love that she had for her family revealed itself to me that summer. I’d never met anyone in my life with a heart as big as hers. She took care of everyone – a little mother hen. There was something special about her. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I wanted to get to know her better.
