Merriam Webster defines gratitude as “the state of being grateful.”  The Oxford Dictionary defines gratitude as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”  The Free Dictionary defines gratitude as “warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness of benefits received; thankful.”  Gratitude is acknowledgement, recognition, appreciativeness, honor, and thankfulness.  Gratitude is not disgrace, unthankfulness, or unappreciative.  John F. Kennedy says, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved the game of volleyball.  I grew up watching my cousin, Riley, play volleyball in high school and college.  I loved watching her play volleyball, and felt excited whenever my family had the opportunity to watch her play.  Riley expressed her gratitude for the love of the sport while she played.  I could tell that she was very thankful for her athletic ability and talent by the way she treated her fans and teammates.  Riley has been blessed with many extraordinary opportunities in her life from her involvement with volleyball.  As she grew up, I remember the excitement I would feel build up inside me as she won tight games at a competitive level.  I have dreamt many times that I could achieve and experience some of the success that she treasured. Riley was an exemplary role model for me as I grew up.  She was an extraordinary athlete, student, and individual.  Her wins and losses did not define her as a person, but they helped mold her into the person she is today.  Riley helped me to live in gratitude.

As I grew up, I started to play volleyball competitively in middle school.  I remember walking into the gym wearing shorts instead of spandex, knee-high socks, and huge kneepads.  At that age, I didn't care what I looked like because I was just happy to be playing volleyball. I remember the excitement of picking out my first school ball jersey in seventh grade.  I felt like a child eagerly sorting through her gifts on Christmas morning.  I picked number eleven because that was Riley’s jersey number.  I slipped the jersey over my head to try it on.  Even though it was too big, and it had a hole in the armpit the size of a half-dollar, I was proud to wear the same number as Riley.  I was extremely thankful to be her little cousin.

At the end of my eighth grade season my aunt, Steph, started to train a few of my teammates. We knew that Steph possessed the knowledge and had the ability to assist us to become successful.  After school, we would set up a net and she would come instruct us for a few hours.  We learned information in practice that we didn’t even know existed.  At first, the new drills were hard to understand because she taught us strategies that we had never learned in middle school.  I was frustrated with these difficult drills and strategies at first, but I realized that I wasn’t going to get better if I had a negative mindset.  I had to change my mindset and body to physically perform new tasks.  My teammates and I learned the fundamentals of volleyball.  It took tremendous dedication and hard work, but we finally learned the right form and footwork.  My teammates would often visit about how thankful we were that Steph took the time to share her knowledge with us.  I am forever grateful for the time and effort that Steph provided me and my teammates.

Eventually, we practiced every Sunday throughout the winter, spring, and summer.  We practiced passing, hitting, and blocking drills every week.  Steph taught us to get rid of our old habits by instilling new information in our brains.  I remember it was hard for me to learn the correct spots to be on defense.  I would get frustrated as I had my foot held on the sideline while the ball was hit at me during defensive drills.  I learned that negative energy and frustration will just hurt me in the long run.  Steph eliminated these thoughts from my head.  She taught my teammates and me the gift of gratitude.  I am thankful that I had the opportunity to learn important life lessons from my coach while playing volleyball.  Steph believed in us and she gave us hope that we could do something extraordinary. 

After countless practices, we started to play in tournaments over the summer.  Our first two tournaments were back to back, and we won all of our games.  I’ll never forget that weekend because I realized that all of our frustration and failure during our training was worth it.  I felt so much joy and happiness when our hard work started to pay off against other teams.  After we won the tournament I remember crying in tears of joy when we were taking a team picture with our medals.  I will never forget our feelings of success and victory.  Winning is empowering and it makes me feel rewarded. 

My teammates and I formed a solid base of confidence for ourselves while expressing gratitude for each other.   At times, we faced adversity, but as a team we worked together to get the job done.  We all got to share our love of the game together, which was special.  I had fun traveling to tournaments in the summer because I got to play volleyball and spend time with my teammates.  We had a dream to be successful and we knew that we had the ability to accomplish anything we set our minds on.  Our friendship and trust as teammates grew tighter every week and I was looking forward to our season.

The summer flew by too fast.  I spent a prodigious amount of time practicing in the gym.  Most of my teammates and I were incoming freshmen in high school.  Thankfully, there was an opening for the head coach position and my aunt, Steph, accepted the job.  My teammates and I were excited that she would be our coach.  We were excited for our upcoming seasons together.  I had dreams of achieving three thousand set assists and going to state with my team.  At the time, my goals seemed so far away.  I knew that it would take commitment, hard work, and dedication to reach them. 

As a young athlete, I didn’t realize that the time with my teammates would go by so quickly.  I learned to be grateful for every day I spent with them.  As each season passed, I realized that my time was dwindling to achieve my goals.  Coming into my senior season, I was playing with the same exact team I played with in middle school.  These girls were my closest friends and I knew that we had the ability to create a legacy together.  We already had achieved success together, but we were continually striving to reach the state tournament.

My last volleyball season was unforgettable.  During the offseason, we played against extremely competitive teams, and we were ready for challenges against teams in our section.  We were undefeated for most of our season and we broke school records as a team.  Near the end of the season I reached my goal of three thousand set assists.  I was so happy to be playing volleyball.  I didn’t take anything for granted.  I knew this might possibly be my last season playing volleyball if I didn’t decide to play in college.  I went through all my “last firsts.”  My last first home game, my last first tournament, and eventually, my last game ever. 

We made it to the section final game.  If we beat Roseau, we would earn our trip down to State.  Our dreams could come true, and we could feel like we were on top of the world.  That day felt like the longest day of my life.  We arrived in Fosston, and we were finally approaching the championship game.  I put on my jersey, laced up my shoes, and fastened my hair in a ponytail.  I looked in the mirror hanging in the locker room and took a deep breath before I walked out on the floor.  Adrenaline and excitement rushed through my body during warmups.  Right before the first whistle, I took another deep breath to calm my nerves.  I knew that it was now or never. 

My teammates and I were prepared mentally and physically to play Roseau, but nothing seemed to go our way.  We probably played our worst match of the season, at the worst time possible.  As a team, we couldn’t find a rhythm to score points.  We couldn’t seem to finish a set, even though we played with them all along.  Although we didn’t win the first set, I was grateful for every point that we scored.  I loved celebrating points with my team because we got so excited.  During the next games, I thought we were more tense than relaxed.  I could feel that we were nervous, and we hadn’t played that fearful all year.  The moment came that I thought would never come.

It was match point and the last ball dropped.
 

We looked up at each other in complete and utter sadness.  Our dreams were crushed.  We had beaten ourselves.  Our errors added up too fast, and our season was over in a blink of an eye.  I tried to hold back my emotions as we were awarded our red ribbons, but tears flooded out of my eyes and rolled down my cheek.  I remembered hugging my teammates, thanking them for an amazing journey together.  I could not stop crying as I held my sister, realizing that I would never get to play with her again.  I didn’t understand, and I felt like the world was going to end because we lost.  I was sad because we worked so hard to get to this moment and we didn’t get to celebrate.  God had a different plan for us, and for some reason it wasn’t to be successful that night.  I had a broken heart, but my sadness healed with time.  

The game didn’t end up like we wanted, but we had an incredible season.  I was grateful for being able to have such a great family, team, and community.  They were all so supportive even though we lost the most important game of the season.  I was thankful for their thoughtfulness and unconditional support throughout my volleyball career.   

While playing high school volleyball, I learned so much about myself.  I loved being a part of a team.  I learned to play for my teammates, and to put their needs before mine.  I created friendships in volleyball that will last for my whole life.  I am so grateful to share numerous memories with my coaches and teammates.  I would do anything to step out onto that floor to play another game with my teammates.  My coaches always reminded us that we won’t remember the wins or losses, but we will remember all the fun we shared with each other.  I have learned to live in gratitude by playing and watching volleyball.  As I move on to bigger and better things in my life, I know that I will be grateful for all of my opportunities.  “Grateful.”