household. It was there that I decided that this summer softball season would be my best season yet, because I was going to play every game for her. I was playing for my mom. In fact, the first game I played ended up being one day after my mom had left. After the first inning passed, I realized I had forgotten to put her letter in my pocket. I hadn’t even opened it yet, let alone read it. She told me to save it for when I truly needed it. I frantically asked a friend to go get it out of the car for me. I put the letter in my right pocket before I was up to bat. As I was stepping into the box, I tapped my right pocket and thought “This one’s for you Mom” and I hit my first homerun deep to left center. I was so emotional that as I came into the dugout I broke down and sobbed tears of joy because I knew that I had done what I promised and she would’ve been proud.
That summer was my best season. I excelled both at the plate and behind it. I felt that I had hit my peak and was only getting better. Then everything changed again in a split second. I blew my ACL. I was only a few weeks away from softball season, and I just got injured. I was beyond devastated. I couldn’t play the sport I loved and it broke my heart. As of now I’m about 5 months out of surgery and am still rebuilding my knee to be back by high school season. I’m cleared to do certain things but not everything. The first time I got to catch again was on a bucket and I cried because I was almost there; I was almost home. But the closer it gets to the start of the season the more excited I become, because I’m getting that much closer to coming home. I finally get to be where I belong. And that’s what coming home is all about. It’s about going back to the place you belong, where you are happiest. There is no better feeling than truly coming home.
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Photo Credit: Sarah Johnson