My grandfather was one of the best people on Earth. He was kind hearted, fun to be around, protective over the people he loved, and he was just a positive person who brightened other peoples’ day just by walking into the room. Without my grandfather and the lessons he taught me, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. For example, my grandfather told me to always smile because you never know who might be struggling and sometimes all people need to see is somebody else smiling to motivate them to keep going no matter how hard life gets. This is one of the main reasons why I’m always smiling and/or laughing. People often tell me that my smile makes their day and they often look forward to being around me because of the positive energy I put out into the world. Receiving these compliments puts into perspective how much my grandfather’s lessons and wise words influenced how I live my life.
My grandfather is also the reason I’m the hardworking player that I am. He taught me everything I know about softball. The strategy of the game, the mindset you have to be in while playing the game, and the overall excitement the game gives you. Very quickly softball became an outlet for me to relax. I was able to release all of my negative emotions and anger I felt at the time. The peace the game has given me has become irreplaceable and has helped me through a lot of hardships in my life. For example, losing the person who taught me everything I know about the game and made it so easy to fall in love with. Losing my grandad made it hard for me to play the game I once loved for a while, because all I could think about was the fact that he was supposed to be there to support me. When I finally picked my bat back up, my mind went silent and all I could feel was my mind entering a state of peace, where nothing bothered me while I had my bat in my hand or my glove in the orange sandy dirt. Hitting the ball and feeling the vibrations from the ball making contact with the barrel of my bat, made it feel like all the loud voices screaming at each other in my head vanished and all I can hear is my grandfather’s voice cheering me on, putting a smile on my face while I make my way back to home plate.
In conclusion, while grandparents are the best people on this Earth, they don’t live forever. Even though they don’t live forever, their wise words and lessons live forever in our daily lives. My grandad has left many memories and aspirations for me to live by. He’s taught me everything I know not — only about life — but also about the game that has brought me so much peace. While my grandfather is no longer on this Earth, the memories that we created together and the wise words he spoke still stick with me as I go through the rest of my life, and that’s why my special person award goes to my grandfather.
Lauryn Jordan