Chapter 3

This young girl proved herself to be a very busy person. Over the following days I was given more and more glimpses into just how good a girl she was.

She still believed in Santa. Her brother was a little older and yet did not give it away.

She loved to play. Awaken in the morning and play. Grab some breakfast and then play. Gobble up her lunch and play some more. You get the picture I hope.

She was very focused on her likes and dislikes. She enjoyed playing basketball. Even if her brother would critique her in every instance of play. She always kept her head held high.

Baseball and softball season had just ended for her brother and herself. They had both learned a great deal this season. And it was certainly more action at second base than she had ever gotten in the outfield.

She believed in God. She truly adored her mom and dad. Not so much her brother; but he had his moments.

She was always happy when her father included her in his household fix ups. Pruning a bush here; clipping the hedge there.

She soaked it all up when he discussed the utmost safety in all they did. Placing the ladder with no wobble. Reading the sign on the ladder to make sure not to go above the top step. Supporting yourself using the ladder rungs. No overextending. If you wanted to reach out then get down and move the ladder.

The most important precaution he drilled into her was to always have a spotter. Sure, there might be a time or two where she only needed a couple steps up on the ladder. But when working with tools, get someone to hold the ladder in place and be there to help in an emergency.

I was making a lot of mental notes as we went about her daily life. Some things I know I will always remember quite easily. Birthdays, accounts, her social security number. Her dad had taken the time to help her memorize these numbers. I saw the numbers and, since I've always been good with numbers, I knew it would be easy remembering "her" numbers.

Just yesterday her brother had gotten on her nerves again. They started an impromptu wiffle ball game on their street. Each time she was at bat he continually critiqued her swings. She did make a great play on a fly ball and he also praised her actions. But, for her, it felt like he was picking on her for some reason. She really felt like crying but took a deep breath and again held her head high.

There was a good deal of talk in their home about the family vacation. They were still deciding on where to go this summer. With all the sports on hiatus, they would not impact any teams if they were out of town for a week or two. As both mom and dad worked, there was a good deal of time spent at grandparents. This offered them many days of swimming in their above ground pool as well as taking in some day trips.

Fathers Day had been a whirlwind of driving and visiting with both sets of her grandparents. She was quite pleased that her daddy had really liked the Phillies baseball cap she gave him. Her mom had helped her pick it out and order it a week ago. This was online of course. One of those great sites that grant you super fast shipping. She showed her mom some shortcuts on the 'net' that day.

She was glowingly happy when she overheard her father praising her skills in basketball to her uncle. He had stopped by to visit 'pop' and had inquired on the kids seasons. His daughter, Nina's cousin, was on a different school's team that they did not play this year. They would be playing next year. And, as the girls always played some pick up games in their neighborhoods, they knew they could play fairly against one another when representing their respective schools.