Astros: World Series Champions!

As a little girl growing up "inside the loop" in Houston, TX among millions of people, the Houston Astros provided motivation for hard work and hope for a better future. A future filled with dreams and excitement, where every person had a chance to make it...the American Dream! The fact that we did not have a winning team for years did not mean we couldn't support them. People did not go to the games and leave early because their team was not winning. We loved the players and we loved the game, regardless of their record. Many friends last night were sporting the hashtag #EarnHistory, and that is exactly what the Houston Astros have accomplished!

Watching the Astros inspired me to join the West University softball team when I was in middle school. When I began playing softball in seventh grade, I knew I had a long road ahead of me with the competition of girls who had been playing for years, but I was determined to get better. I was fast, but that was the only skill I had. I needed to learn how to throw correctly, learn how to eye the ball for that perfect catch, and pitch without hitting the player. With amazing coaches and teammates I will always feel a strong connection to, we perfected the game, winning title after title by the end of my high school career. The exhilarating atmosphere on the field and in the dugout with cheering, songs of encouragement, and hope taught us to never give up and strive to perform at 100% every day. My good friends would meet me out at the West U fields on the weekends and at night, letting me hit and throw until my little heart was content. Relentless practice with no desire to quit was an inspiration from the 'Stros. My senior year in high school, I was able to get the attention of a college recruiter at Centenary College, who added me as a signee for softball in addition to the soccer scholarship I received. With my relentless desire to practice hard and work as a team, my dream of going to college to play sports had become a reality. I had no idea at the time, this gift of an outstanding college education would bless my life in ways I could never dream of happening.

I had a softball coach once tell me that if I could take all the negative energy inside me and turn it into something positive, amazing things would happen in my life. She was right! I live by those words every day. In the midst of darkness, grief, or anger, you can turn those adverse, pessimistic feelings into helping other people at the very least to distract from the pain, but in the best case to change the lives of others by creating happiness, love, and hope for those who may not have it at all. When you help others, you learn that your struggles may not be as bad as you think, after all. As bad as your situation may seem, there is someone who probably has it worse than you and if you can learn to hold on to what is good in this world and what REALLY matters, that is what makes life worth living.

Now amidst the devastating flooding from Hurricane Harvey, the Astros have once again demonstrated that with hard work and determination ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! You can rise up through years of heartache and loss to build a better life, having learned from your hardships and tough situations. YOU can earn your history, just like the Astros did last night! As the picture says, with the Houston Astros, it is "More than just a game". The spirit, conviction, and drive that this team has brought to this city, lives within each person who has a connection to H-town. We will forever be bonded by the promise of a better tomorrow you have brought to our lives. GEAUX 'STROS!!! We are proud of you!