Saint Joseph’s University held a lacrosse camp for prospective athletes, which I attended on Feb. 1. 

It was freezing, windy, and cloudy, not an ideal day for lacrosse.

Honestly, nobody wanted to be at Sweeney Field.

During the scrimmage, most girls looked up at the clock every five minutes to see when they could finally rest.

However, there was a girl who didn’t look up once.

One arm.

This girl at St. Joe’s lacrosse camp had one arm.

Why would you play lacrosse with one arm? 

Lacrosse is a sport where you need two hands, but Gracie withstood the unwritten rules.

Despite her disability, she embodied hard work, coachability, and a positive mindset. 

I thought, “Why does the girl with the most significant disadvantage have the best attitude on the field?”

She was a simple reminder to be thankful for our gifts and talents. In this world, we often take things for granted.  We forget that others face more consequential challenges than being unable to attend that one party.

Even though Gracie had one arm, everyone treated her as an equal. No one saw her as anything other than a qualified lacrosse player. The girls’ actions surrounding her prove that kindness still exists.

This experience opened my eyes to the gifts I have received in this life and reminded me of the good in this world.

Gracie loves this sport and doesn’t change herself despite the adversities she knows she will face. 

So why do we change ourselves and what we love?

Be a Little EXTRA Ordinary

Society encourages us to be “normal.” We change ourselves to fit in with a particular group of people who appear to be accepted. However, we fail to realize how much we have to offer this world without modifying ourselves.

This world is brutal. Girls can be mean, and they can make you hateful.

When we stop adjusting our actions to “fit it,” our life experience becomes a little more special.

My favorite Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 13:4: “Love is patient. Love is kind.” Loving as selflessly as God does is hard, but it has a much more significant impact than we would expect when we try.

We can be with those hurting by becoming at peace with ourselves. Learning to love oneself is just as important, if not more important, than learning to love others.

Gracie was her most authentic self during camp, although her appearance differed from everyone else’s. She truly loved herself the way she was, which made her heart purer.

She could function in a basic offense on the field, and her determination was unmatched.

To Gracie, playing this sport was more than any gift she had ever received.

Opening Our Eyes

Every day is a blessing: the sun rises, the earth spins, and the world continues. However, not everyone experiences the luxuries that others do.

Not everything in this life will be fun, but that’s okay because you are still alive. Instead of complaining, take the time to realize all your opportunities.

You woke up today. Some people didn’t. Go and thank God for getting you out of bed this morning.

Learn to accept things the way they are because you can only control yourself and how you act.

Not everyone you encounter in your life is meant to stay; some people are meant to be lessons. When you learn a lesson, you can choose what to do next. You can select revenge and be hateful or forgive and let it go.

When you learn to let go, you begin to notice the little acts of love that make your life so unique.

Never forget to appreciate the small things because not everyone is as lucky as you are.

So, who cares what people think! Go outside, be curious, and explore. Life is too short to be “normal” anyway. 

As long as you’re kind, it will all work out.