Monday’s Pen to Paper: Memories
All weekend I’ve been sorting through photos. I’m putting together a little something for my parent’s 50th Wedding Anniversary (Surprise Mom). It’s been slow going as I have a box of old family photos from the time before I had a camera, photo albums from the time I got my Kodak to the time my son was born (about 17 years of albums),and then back to boxes of half-labeled envelopes of photos after Cass was born, (yes Cass, we did take photos of you when you were a baby too) up until I got a Mac Book for my 40th birthday nearly 7 years ago. Then I went digital.
That wasn’t much better. I swore I would keep up with the photos and photo albums, and did for the first 6 months. Now, as of three weeks ago, my computer is so full of photos that I can not download more onto it. All this to say, the search for Anniversary photos was not a simple task, however, it was a fun one.
As I thumbed through photos I’d grab my iPhone and snap a picture of a picture and text it to a friend. A moment from the past that I’d forgotten had been captured. A time when their kids and my kids were young and holding hands or playing baseball together. That’s when I thought of the perfect writing prompt, even if it was a day late.
Writing Prompt: I remember when…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday:
I put on a basketball camp this week for girls between 2nd and 8th grade. Our high school players coached the young athletes. The campers had a blast. All were exhausted by the last day, campers and coaches alike. But oh to see the smiles. A good reminder of why I coach.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Worth A Thousand Words
When I look at a photo I can be transported into a different time, place, even world sometimes, and how much fun to write about it…
Writing Prompt: 
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: What Is Success?
My daughter is reading “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell for her AP Literature class this coming fall. The book discusses what it takes to become a high-achiever. My daughter translated it to me in her 16-year-old perspective (I have not read the book), “Mom, to be successful, a person must put 10,000 hours in the activity they choose. In fact, parents start their kids playing hockey, at 5 years old, so they can put in enough hours to go Pro.” As an athlete, I know the value of time and effort. But I also know that there are tons of kids that put in the time and don’t make it to the professional level and sometimes even if they do, is it true success?
Does a 5-year-old child really know what they want to do, want to be, when they grow up?
I encourage my kids to play several sports, to try different things, play an instrument, read, make an attempt at art. My daughter wanted to take drama last year but got put in to a wood shop class and found out she LOVED it. How fun to try something new and find that you love it. It might be hard to put in 10,000 hours and still get out and try new things.
I have a story I have told a million times. It explains why I’m careful about pushing my kids. My husband would say I don’t push enough, so I know there is no perfect answer. But here is my story.
My mom went to college to study voice, to become an opera singer. She loved singing. A classmate of hers started singing at a young age with much pressure from her mother. She also studied voice at the Mozarteum […]
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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