Two years ago, I got a call. But allow me to press rewind for a moment. I had spent the better part of the previous 6 months in the dark. No real direction. But there, in the deepest part of my soul, was a girl who wanted to live again. In the weeks before, my brother-in-law had sent me an application for a middle school volleyball coaching job. Without any belief I'd get it, I applied because I knew the first step into the light required me to do the things I loved again. Volleyball always had a way of healing me. Being on the court allowed me to put everything I felt somewhere. The game gave me goals, and those goals gave me something to pour myself into. I put my heart and soul into every moment I spent with a ball in my hands, and in return the game gave me everything. I thought maybe coaching would close my wounds in the same way playing did. So when I got the call to coach for Taft middle school, I immediately said yes. That was two years ago, and I haven't been the same since. Playing fulfilled me, but coaching the girls gave me a purpose. Not necessarily to teach them how to pass or dive, but to tell them they always have an ear to listen. Open arms and an open heart that always has time for them. At the end of our last practice, they all thanked me for the season, but I'm the one who really needed to say thank you. I told the girls how much growth I'd seen in them over the season, but I'd also seen it in myself. The girls healed the 10 year old in me that felt incredibly alone. Letting each of them know how important they are was also an opportunity to hold my own hand back then. Being a coach is the blessing I never knew I needed. But more than that, it gave me my life back, shining light once again with that call 2 years ago, and every day since.
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