Dear Gen,
You’re the best owner a dog could ever ask for! You probably wouldn’t expect a letter from me, but I thought it would be a great way to tell you how I feel. This is probably the only time you’ll get a letter from me, so I hope you like it.
I love all you do for me. You give me treats, you take me for long walks, and you give me baths. When I’m crying at my food bowl or at the door and it seems like no one hears me, you always come. I’m sorry when I annoy you though. I don’t mean to. When I bark really loud when you’re sleeping it’s because I want to protect you. When I beg for food at your feet it’s because I’m hungry. How would you like eating the same food for breakfast and dinner? When I cry next to your bed early in the morning it’s because I’m so excited to see you. I can’t wait to start my day with you. I get lonely when you are at school. I miss you, and there is no one to play with.
I love summer because that’s when I get to see you the most. You take me to the beach, even though I’m not allowed. I was scared when we got yelled at, but we just kept on walking. I’m sorry for going into the bushes and giving you poison ivy. That won’t happen ever again. I promise. It’s almost winter. I like winter too. Our house always gets very cold, which means more cuddling. Even though I’m little, I’ll try to keep you nice and warm. I like the white blanket the best because it’s the softest.
I hope you’re having chicken for dinner tonight. It’s my favorite and mom gives me your leftovers. I get so excited! If you have rice though, please don’t drop any. Sometimes it falls on my head and gets stuck in my fur.
I like it when you laugh at me. Do you like it when I prance, when I play with my toys, or when I slide across the hard wood floor? I like seeing you happy, because when you’re happy, I’m happy too. You share everything with me. I’m so good at keeping secretes. I never know what you’re saying, but I like listening to you. I’ll always be there for you and I’ll agree with everything you say. When you come home and it seems like everyone is mad at you, I’ll still be there wagging my tail. I will always love you the same no matter what you do. I wish I could say more, but I think I hear the fridge opening so I have to go.
Love, Brady
P.S.
I love wearing my Tom Brady jersey, but please don’t make me wear boots and the coat with the fur hood this winter.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Letter Thanking a Coach (1)
Dear Mr. Shiner,
You always believed in us. You never gave up on us, even when we could barely win a game. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication. It takes a lot of patience to put up with twenty teenage girls. We appreciate all the time and effort you put in to make our team better. We would not be successful if you were not there to encourage and motivate us. You continually remind us that the score does not matter, as long as we do our best. When we feel like giving up, you always push us to work harder.
At the time, running an extra lap or doing an extra 20 sit-ups may seem like a challenge, but you never make us do something we are not capable of. We should be thankful we ran to practie and will be rewarded in the end. You do everything with us, and are constantly cheering us on. We may not be the best team, but we are always trying. Even though we make mistakes, we are playing our hearts out. Mistakes are a good thing because we are able to learn and grow from them.
You have taught us to always be determined, and we can do anything we put our minds to. If we want something bad enough, and are willing to work for it, we can achieve it. You have taught us more than just soccer. You have taught us the value of teamwork, how to win and lose graciously, the importance of commitment, and good sportsmanship. We must always play “pretty soccer.” You also taught us to always believe in yourself. Don’t give up if you shoot and miss. There will be plenty more opportunities to succeed.
I always look forward to going to soccer practice because I know it will be fun. We always have a good time, even when we complain. We love and appreciate hearing your songs at community gathering. You always put so much creativity and thought into them. Your crazy promises like wearing a bow if we beat Pope John and getting a tattoo if we make it to states, make me laugh. Our team has come a long way in the past three years. The first day of practice we all had hopes of making the state tournament. With your leadership and guidance, we did it, we’re going to states!
Thanks for everything,
Genevieve
You always believed in us. You never gave up on us, even when we could barely win a game. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication. It takes a lot of patience to put up with twenty teenage girls. We appreciate all the time and effort you put in to make our team better. We would not be successful if you were not there to encourage and motivate us. You continually remind us that the score does not matter, as long as we do our best. When we feel like giving up, you always push us to work harder.
At the time, running an extra lap or doing an extra 20 sit-ups may seem like a challenge, but you never make us do something we are not capable of. We should be thankful we ran to practie and will be rewarded in the end. You do everything with us, and are constantly cheering us on. We may not be the best team, but we are always trying. Even though we make mistakes, we are playing our hearts out. Mistakes are a good thing because we are able to learn and grow from them.
You have taught us to always be determined, and we can do anything we put our minds to. If we want something bad enough, and are willing to work for it, we can achieve it. You have taught us more than just soccer. You have taught us the value of teamwork, how to win and lose graciously, the importance of commitment, and good sportsmanship. We must always play “pretty soccer.” You also taught us to always believe in yourself. Don’t give up if you shoot and miss. There will be plenty more opportunities to succeed.
I always look forward to going to soccer practice because I know it will be fun. We always have a good time, even when we complain. We love and appreciate hearing your songs at community gathering. You always put so much creativity and thought into them. Your crazy promises like wearing a bow if we beat Pope John and getting a tattoo if we make it to states, make me laugh. Our team has come a long way in the past three years. The first day of practice we all had hopes of making the state tournament. With your leadership and guidance, we did it, we’re going to states!
Thanks for everything,
Genevieve
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Forgiveness
Dear Gen,
Mom and Dad always taught us that the most important things in life are family and faith. Without these we have nothing. “A sister is an extension of yourself, without, you are not complete.” Sometimes I take you for granted. I know you’ll always be there for me, and I’ll always be there for you.
Once in a while, we both forget this though. I know you don’t mean what you say most of the time, but when you scream at me for pulling your hair too tight, or you yell at me for wearing your skirt, it hurts . If I take a pair of shoes or a skirt that is “yours,” take it as a compliment, because I want to look as good as you. If I pull your hair too tight, it is because I want you to look perfect. It hurts my feelings when you scream at me. I forgive you though, because I know you don’t mean what you say. You always do this when you are frustrated with something else. Right after you yell at me, you apologize, and I will always forgive you.
Sometimes I think we get in fights because we are too much of the same person. We both have our mother’s eyes and our father’s Irish temper. We hate to be wrong and always think we’re right. When you give me dirty looks or you yell at me I find it insulting. I don’t want you to be mad if I ever correct or criticize you. Being the oldest, I know what you and T.J. are capable of. I love watching your games and I love seeing you do well. I want you to work as hard as you can because I know you will be successful.
Do you remember when we were little and we were getting ready to go to swimming lessons? You shut the front door on your toe and screamed at me for it. Gen, I promise, I did not want there to be blood all over the floor and to see you cry. I wasn’t even there; I was waiting for you in the car. Do you remember those times when we would be doing something we knew we weren’t suppose to, like jumping on our beds, and as soon as mom or dad walked in you would immediately point your finger at me and say, “It was all her idea, I swear!” Looking back I laugh at those times, I forgive you. We were always taught that if we make a mistake it is okay, as long as we learn from it. I know you have learned from all the little mistakes you made.
We have so many memories that I’ll treasure forever. Everything from making pancakes early on Saturday mornings to singing and dancing for everyone. We share each other’s joys and sorrows. We laugh, we cry, and we argue together. We’ve driven everyone in the house crazy with our fights, but that won’t happen again. Our arguments always end in laughter. You try so hard to be right, but you always end up saying something that has nothing to do with the argument. A little laughter definitely solves everything.
If you are mad or upset, I want you to tell me why, and I can help you. Don’t immediately accuse me, or say that I don’t care or wouldn’t understand. We always finish each other’s sentences, and I’ve known you for your whole life. What makes you think I wouldn’t understand? “A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”
I can’t imagine not having a sister. When it seems like the world doesn’t understand, you always do. Two more things mom and dad always taught us were to never go to bed angry and everyday is a new day. One of the things I like best about us, is our ability to forgive each other. We never dwell on the past, we like to move on. I could never be mad at you; I love you and always will. Gen, always remember we are sisters first, but friends forever.
XOXOXO
Love, Juliette
Mom and Dad always taught us that the most important things in life are family and faith. Without these we have nothing. “A sister is an extension of yourself, without, you are not complete.” Sometimes I take you for granted. I know you’ll always be there for me, and I’ll always be there for you.
Once in a while, we both forget this though. I know you don’t mean what you say most of the time, but when you scream at me for pulling your hair too tight, or you yell at me for wearing your skirt, it hurts . If I take a pair of shoes or a skirt that is “yours,” take it as a compliment, because I want to look as good as you. If I pull your hair too tight, it is because I want you to look perfect. It hurts my feelings when you scream at me. I forgive you though, because I know you don’t mean what you say. You always do this when you are frustrated with something else. Right after you yell at me, you apologize, and I will always forgive you.
Sometimes I think we get in fights because we are too much of the same person. We both have our mother’s eyes and our father’s Irish temper. We hate to be wrong and always think we’re right. When you give me dirty looks or you yell at me I find it insulting. I don’t want you to be mad if I ever correct or criticize you. Being the oldest, I know what you and T.J. are capable of. I love watching your games and I love seeing you do well. I want you to work as hard as you can because I know you will be successful.
Do you remember when we were little and we were getting ready to go to swimming lessons? You shut the front door on your toe and screamed at me for it. Gen, I promise, I did not want there to be blood all over the floor and to see you cry. I wasn’t even there; I was waiting for you in the car. Do you remember those times when we would be doing something we knew we weren’t suppose to, like jumping on our beds, and as soon as mom or dad walked in you would immediately point your finger at me and say, “It was all her idea, I swear!” Looking back I laugh at those times, I forgive you. We were always taught that if we make a mistake it is okay, as long as we learn from it. I know you have learned from all the little mistakes you made.
We have so many memories that I’ll treasure forever. Everything from making pancakes early on Saturday mornings to singing and dancing for everyone. We share each other’s joys and sorrows. We laugh, we cry, and we argue together. We’ve driven everyone in the house crazy with our fights, but that won’t happen again. Our arguments always end in laughter. You try so hard to be right, but you always end up saying something that has nothing to do with the argument. A little laughter definitely solves everything.
If you are mad or upset, I want you to tell me why, and I can help you. Don’t immediately accuse me, or say that I don’t care or wouldn’t understand. We always finish each other’s sentences, and I’ve known you for your whole life. What makes you think I wouldn’t understand? “A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”
I can’t imagine not having a sister. When it seems like the world doesn’t understand, you always do. Two more things mom and dad always taught us were to never go to bed angry and everyday is a new day. One of the things I like best about us, is our ability to forgive each other. We never dwell on the past, we like to move on. I could never be mad at you; I love you and always will. Gen, always remember we are sisters first, but friends forever.
XOXOXO
Love, Juliette
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Endings to my Intros
1.) I guess there are some things in life I will never understand.
You learn something new every day. There are a lot of things in life that don’t make sense to me and probably never will. For example, I don’t understand why material goods are so important to people, why people do things that are illegal, or how people can fall in and out of love so easily. One thing that will never make sense to me is why people put others down just to make themselves feel better. Hopefully, people forget and move on when someone insults them. However, this is not always the case.
2.) Things like that don’t usually happen to people like me.
When, I saw my mother’s eyes filled with tears, I knew something was wrong. We lost a classmate when we were only in second grade. It is hard to say goodbye to your friend especially someone your age when you are only eight. He had a brain tumor. At the time I was confused and didn’t really understand what was happening. Not until several years later did it affect me. He used to say, “I can’t wait until tomorrow because it is a new day.” We wore bracelets as a reminder that every day is a gift and life is precious.
3.) Why are some people perfect at everything they do?
I know nobody is perfect, but some people are pretty close. Being the middle child in my family, I have always been compared to my older sister, Juliette, and my younger brother T.J. They are intelligent, sweet, friendly, athletic, and outgoing. I always hear, “Gen, why do you have to be so difficult? It seems like everything just comes easy to them. It can be frustrating, but I have worked so much harder in life because of them.
4.) I can’t believe she just did that! Slamming the door on my face, after all I did for her.
I went to school with her since I was six. We use to be friends. Something changed though. I’m not sure when or what happened, but things were different. I played soccer with her and I helped her with her school work. I even helped her get into the high school she wanted. This didn’t matter anymore. She thought I was a terrible person who didn’t have anything better to do with my time then to insult her. When I attempted to apologize, “I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding, I hope….” I heard a slam, and she never let me finish. I’ve seen her since then, but things will never be the same between us.
5.)“We did it!” No one thought we were good enough. It only took three minutes to prove them wrong.
Many people would argue that cheerleading is easy and anyone can do it. That is not true. Our cheerleading team practiced for four months two hours every night. Our coaches would scream every practice to smile more, jump higher, sharper motions, and cheer louder. We cheered for every football game, but the competitions were what we looked forward to. It was a chance to show everyone what we could do. We have all been kicked in the face, fallen on our heads, and cheered until we were blue in the face. Our hard work paid off, when I heard everyone scream, “We did it!” We were national champions.
You learn something new every day. There are a lot of things in life that don’t make sense to me and probably never will. For example, I don’t understand why material goods are so important to people, why people do things that are illegal, or how people can fall in and out of love so easily. One thing that will never make sense to me is why people put others down just to make themselves feel better. Hopefully, people forget and move on when someone insults them. However, this is not always the case.
2.) Things like that don’t usually happen to people like me.
When, I saw my mother’s eyes filled with tears, I knew something was wrong. We lost a classmate when we were only in second grade. It is hard to say goodbye to your friend especially someone your age when you are only eight. He had a brain tumor. At the time I was confused and didn’t really understand what was happening. Not until several years later did it affect me. He used to say, “I can’t wait until tomorrow because it is a new day.” We wore bracelets as a reminder that every day is a gift and life is precious.
3.) Why are some people perfect at everything they do?
I know nobody is perfect, but some people are pretty close. Being the middle child in my family, I have always been compared to my older sister, Juliette, and my younger brother T.J. They are intelligent, sweet, friendly, athletic, and outgoing. I always hear, “Gen, why do you have to be so difficult? It seems like everything just comes easy to them. It can be frustrating, but I have worked so much harder in life because of them.
4.) I can’t believe she just did that! Slamming the door on my face, after all I did for her.
I went to school with her since I was six. We use to be friends. Something changed though. I’m not sure when or what happened, but things were different. I played soccer with her and I helped her with her school work. I even helped her get into the high school she wanted. This didn’t matter anymore. She thought I was a terrible person who didn’t have anything better to do with my time then to insult her. When I attempted to apologize, “I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding, I hope….” I heard a slam, and she never let me finish. I’ve seen her since then, but things will never be the same between us.
5.)“We did it!” No one thought we were good enough. It only took three minutes to prove them wrong.
Many people would argue that cheerleading is easy and anyone can do it. That is not true. Our cheerleading team practiced for four months two hours every night. Our coaches would scream every practice to smile more, jump higher, sharper motions, and cheer louder. We cheered for every football game, but the competitions were what we looked forward to. It was a chance to show everyone what we could do. We have all been kicked in the face, fallen on our heads, and cheered until we were blue in the face. Our hard work paid off, when I heard everyone scream, “We did it!” We were national champions.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Finishing Intros
(1) "Zzzzzzz." My cell phone was vibrating in my pocket. I took it out at once since I was waiting for her message for so long. I was eager and timid to read it, because i did not want to see anything I did not expect to know. However, the screen showed three words which pushed me into the darkness, "I am sorry..." All the rumors were true. I thought she was my best friend. Our friendship used to be based on honesty, loyalty, and trust, but she lied to me. It was as if she went against everything our friendship stood for. Maybe I should forgive her, but I don’t think I can. I know everyone makes mistakes, but is it okay for your best friend to stab you in the back on purpose? I don’t think so.
(2) She lowered her head, the tears dropped silently, no cry, but just lament.
She was the strongest person I knew. She could handle anything. Why was she so sad? She didn't say anything, but I knew what happened. Her eyes told me everything.
(3) Turn off the light, open the window, set the ipod to the largest volume, I sat on the windowsill and was intoxicated in the peaceful and deadly silent night. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I had everything I ever wanted. It was one of those days that starts out awful and ends up better than you can imagine. When you think things can’t get any worse, your luck starts to change. I realized I could be anywhere in the world and still be happy. All I need are the people I love. With my favorite song playing, I felt a cool breeze on my face as I counted the stars thinking about my day. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
(4) "Next!" I stood up suddenly, rubed my hand with my pant to get rid of my sweat, pretending also to get rid of my nervousness. I waited for what seemed like an eternity. This was my chance to shine. I looked around and saw nothing but blank stares. I opened my mouth to sing, but nothing came out. Why did I have to be so nervous? I practiced for hours. I then saw my mother’s face smiling at me. Everything was going to be all right.
(5) "Fine, I do not care!" I yelled at him, turned around, walked away and left him at that spot. However, my tears rushed out at the right moment I turned around. He was overwhelmed by the guilt of remorse; “I am sorry…” his voice was so low that I could hardly hear it. I didn't think three little words could make me cry. Was I not good enough for him anymore? We were perfect together, what went wrong? He meant everything to me, but I meant nothing to him. That was the first time my heart was broken. My world crashed and shattered into tiny pieces. Nothing would be the same ever again.
(2) She lowered her head, the tears dropped silently, no cry, but just lament.
She was the strongest person I knew. She could handle anything. Why was she so sad? She didn't say anything, but I knew what happened. Her eyes told me everything.
(3) Turn off the light, open the window, set the ipod to the largest volume, I sat on the windowsill and was intoxicated in the peaceful and deadly silent night. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I had everything I ever wanted. It was one of those days that starts out awful and ends up better than you can imagine. When you think things can’t get any worse, your luck starts to change. I realized I could be anywhere in the world and still be happy. All I need are the people I love. With my favorite song playing, I felt a cool breeze on my face as I counted the stars thinking about my day. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
(4) "Next!" I stood up suddenly, rubed my hand with my pant to get rid of my sweat, pretending also to get rid of my nervousness. I waited for what seemed like an eternity. This was my chance to shine. I looked around and saw nothing but blank stares. I opened my mouth to sing, but nothing came out. Why did I have to be so nervous? I practiced for hours. I then saw my mother’s face smiling at me. Everything was going to be all right.
(5) "Fine, I do not care!" I yelled at him, turned around, walked away and left him at that spot. However, my tears rushed out at the right moment I turned around. He was overwhelmed by the guilt of remorse; “I am sorry…” his voice was so low that I could hardly hear it. I didn't think three little words could make me cry. Was I not good enough for him anymore? We were perfect together, what went wrong? He meant everything to me, but I meant nothing to him. That was the first time my heart was broken. My world crashed and shattered into tiny pieces. Nothing would be the same ever again.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Cliff Hangers
I guess there are some things in life I will never understand.
Things like that don’t usually happen to people like me.
Why are some people perfect at everything they do?
I can’t believe she just did that! Slamming the door on my face, after all I did for her.
“We did it!” No one thought we were good enough. It only took three minutes to prove them wrong.
Things like that don’t usually happen to people like me.
Why are some people perfect at everything they do?
I can’t believe she just did that! Slamming the door on my face, after all I did for her.
“We did it!” No one thought we were good enough. It only took three minutes to prove them wrong.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Unflattering Aspects
My freshman year after soccer was over I was excited to play basketball. I had played before, so I was put on the varsity team. Our coach is very loud and likes to yell. I didn’t think this would bother me so much, because I’ve played several sports before and I had many coaches who yelled. However, being a freshmen and new to the team, his approach was difficult to deal with. Being screamed at for two hours a day, six days a week, lowered my self-esteem and stressed me out.
Immediately after basketball practice my sister, Juliette, and I would rush to dance class for two and a half hours. Basketball practice always ended late and as a result we were always late to dance. Once we got there we would be yelled at, again, for being late. As I jumped into class, I would be way behind everyone else and have no idea what I was doing. We would then get home close to 9:00. Being exhausted and hungry, we would still have to do all our homework. I was so stressed I always took my frustration out on others. Even though I was annoyed, I tried to act like everything was fine. I said so many things I shouldn’t have, but at the time I didn’t care. Juliette had the same responsibilities as I did, and she was able to stay calm and happy.
I was so tired, I had a hard time focusing at practice the next day. I did not want to be there, and it showed through my negative attitude. Being negative, I got yelled at even more and sat on the bench. I wanted to play more, but it didn’t bother me that much because I was only a freshman, I made a lot of mistakes, and I was always confused.
The next year, I figured basketball would be a lot better because I was a sophomore and I knew what to expect. The coach continued to scream and I got just as annoyed as I did the year before. (I have since learned that not all coaches give positive reinforcement and I have to deal with that.) Whenever I got yelled at, I would just give up and act like I didn’t care anymore. I lost all confidence and as a result I never played in the games. I was intimidated by everyone, and I feared that if I did something wrong I would be looked down upon by the coach and my teammates. I would be yelled at if I shot and I would be yelled at if I didn’t shoot. My lack of confidence eventually resulted in not playing at all and getting demoted to the JV team. I had more fun and confidence in the JV games, but I felt like I was not good enough. The coach told me not to think of it as a demotion, but it still felt that way. My lack of confidence made me feel insecure and pessimistic. I complained the whole practice and gave up way too easily. I now understand that criticism is not to be taken personally, but is there to learn from.
Immediately after basketball practice my sister, Juliette, and I would rush to dance class for two and a half hours. Basketball practice always ended late and as a result we were always late to dance. Once we got there we would be yelled at, again, for being late. As I jumped into class, I would be way behind everyone else and have no idea what I was doing. We would then get home close to 9:00. Being exhausted and hungry, we would still have to do all our homework. I was so stressed I always took my frustration out on others. Even though I was annoyed, I tried to act like everything was fine. I said so many things I shouldn’t have, but at the time I didn’t care. Juliette had the same responsibilities as I did, and she was able to stay calm and happy.
I was so tired, I had a hard time focusing at practice the next day. I did not want to be there, and it showed through my negative attitude. Being negative, I got yelled at even more and sat on the bench. I wanted to play more, but it didn’t bother me that much because I was only a freshman, I made a lot of mistakes, and I was always confused.
The next year, I figured basketball would be a lot better because I was a sophomore and I knew what to expect. The coach continued to scream and I got just as annoyed as I did the year before. (I have since learned that not all coaches give positive reinforcement and I have to deal with that.) Whenever I got yelled at, I would just give up and act like I didn’t care anymore. I lost all confidence and as a result I never played in the games. I was intimidated by everyone, and I feared that if I did something wrong I would be looked down upon by the coach and my teammates. I would be yelled at if I shot and I would be yelled at if I didn’t shoot. My lack of confidence eventually resulted in not playing at all and getting demoted to the JV team. I had more fun and confidence in the JV games, but I felt like I was not good enough. The coach told me not to think of it as a demotion, but it still felt that way. My lack of confidence made me feel insecure and pessimistic. I complained the whole practice and gave up way too easily. I now understand that criticism is not to be taken personally, but is there to learn from.
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