Sarah B. - "Those You Love are Always With You"

Sitting on my porch swing just thinking, I noticed a cobblestone path that had just appeared in front of me. Curious, I followed it to a forest filled with beautiful green trees scattered in every direction. Rejuvenated from a long winter, chipmunks and deer scampered around.

As I walked, admiring all the gorgeous flowers beginning to bloom, I found a cracked coffee mug all covered in dirt on the side of the path with a squirrel examining it. I picked it up and admired the intricate red and gold design which had been hand painted on the smooth, shiny white base. It was absolutely gorgeous. But because of the crack, and the fact that I don’t know who or what has drank out of it, I decided I best not take it with me. So I set it back down and continued on with my journey.

I was skipping along the path humming, “Someone Like You,” by ADELE, one of my favorite songs, when something shining in the distance caught my eye. As I got closer, I realized that the item that was sitting on the stump glistening in the light was a golden house key. I decided to take it with me, and kept on strolling down the path.

A man dressed in khaki pants, black shoes, and a long sleeve shirt was heading towards me, with a leash in one hand, and his other hand in his pocket. Getting closer and closer, I realized that the man that stood in front of me wasn’t just a strange man; it was my Hapa walking Peety the dog he walked every day for almost 10 years. He looked at me, but it was almost as if he didn’t recognize who I was, and then kept walking. I tried to stop him to say hi, considering I only saw him twice a year, but he just ignored me. Feeling hurt that he didn’t recognize his own granddaughter, I continued on.

Wondering where this path was taking me, I came to a fork in the road. One path had a lot of weeds and was very dark and gloomy feeling, and the other path was filled with beautiful flowers and the sun was shining bright on it. Being the scaredy cat that I am, I decided that I would take the more popular path.

As I was walking along, I came to a trickling stream, filled with colorful fish and lily pads resting on top of the water. Luckily it wasn’t a very wide stream, small enough that there was a bridge that reached from one side to the other. So of course I walked over the bridge feeling thankful that I didn’t have to walk threw the barely unfrozen water.

On the other side of the stream sat a quaint little wooden cottage, one that you might find in a fairy tale. Surrounding it was a garden which was well tended to, with humming birds and butterflies hovering over all the vibrant colored fruits and vegetables. I walked up three steps to a welcome mat. I took the key out of my pocket, placed it in the door knob, and creaked open the door slowly. Calling to see if any one was home, I heard a familiar voice. I walked inside to see that the voice came from my Hapa. As I walked even more inside, I could smell the aroma of Krystal’s and Cracker Barrel, which were his two favorite places to eat. I observed that the room looked exactly like his den, with the wood walls, the chairs, the couch, and the big television. There he was sitting watching John Belushi. I walked over and gave him a great big hug, while holding back tears. It had been weird not having him around.

I told him to wait where he was at while I went to go get the rest of my family so we could celebrate being together again. As swift as a fox, I rushed back down the steps, over the bridge, past the cup, up my porch steps, and into the house.

Huffing and puffing, I tried to explain to my mom that I had just saw Hapa and Peety walking in the forest and that he was in a little cottage.

In response she told me that what I was telling her was impossible, considering him and Peety had died a few months ago, one the day after the other. I tried showing her the path that I had taken, but when I opened the door, the path in which I had just ventured on was gone.

Disappointed that all I had saw must have just been my imagination, I glanced back, and there the path stood before me. Confused, I thought to myself that maybe it only appeared for me, and that I got to see him whenever I wanted, because he is always in my heart.

Sarah B. - "Cardinal Award"

I was waiting anxiously for the coaches to call out my name. As they were going through all of the age groups, I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. This would be one of the biggest moments of my life. I was hoping to win the “Cardinal Award,” which was the overall highest award in the camp. One by one, few players went up to receive their awards, from Tara VanDerveer, which were given out. You could possibly get an award for defense, one-on-one, three-on-three, etc. Compared to a lot of other camps, Stanford basketball camp taught me to improve as a basketball player. I gave it all I had that whole week, which would hopefully put me up in the running to receiving the “Cardinal Award.” Throughout the whole camp, I had been trying to impress the coaches and head coaches, while meeting some great new friends along the way. I was hoping that all of my hard work that week would pay off in the end. Waiting quietly on the ground, I was trying to envision what it would be like to play basketball at Stanford on a full ride. I could feel my brain twirling in all directions, as I could feel the butterflies forming a nest in the pit of my stomach. All of the sudden, I heard Tara call out the words, “Cardinal Award,” which quickly pointed my attention towards the coach. It felt like pressure was building up in my body, as the heat turned on which quickly made me start to sweat. As I was waiting for the coach to call out someone’s name, I looked in all directions to see who was watching the player receive her award. I put my focus back on Tara when she excitedly called out my name which meant that I was the best basketball player in my age group! I jumped up with a shining smile upon my face, and joy gleaming out of my eyes. As I shook all of the coach’s hands, I could hear the crowd of people cheering for me which made me imagine what it would be like if I was a player at Stanford. Assistant Coach, Kate Paye, handed me my very own plaque which felt like a diamond shimmering in the palms of my hands. The one moment I had been waiting for had just arrived, which was actually shaking Tara VanDerveer’s hand. As I shook her hand, she told me congratulations on all the hard work I had done which really made me feel special. With that award still with my now, I feel like a changed person in every way. This was one of the greatest moments of my life (so far), which will be with me for years still to come.