My last child, last daughter.. oh the joy she brings me.  She is a challenge to all that is complacent and without challenge.  She is beautiful with deep blue eyes and dark brown hair down to her waist. She reminds me of a garden fairey, quick and nimble.  She flitters from place to place, life experience to another.

Since she was four she has loved baseball.  Her dreams have always been full of baseballs, bats, gloves and baseball clothes.  Maybe it's due to her being the last child and the sibling above her being a boy that she is such a beautiful tom boy.  Who knows?  She is a mystery to me. 

When she was six and seven no one cared that she was a girl playing ball with a bunch of boys.  It all started to matter last season.  Some boys played better, some not as well.  She got a few game balls and the teasing started.

Now a new season has begun and so has the teasing.  Today I picked her up from school and tears were in her eyes.  She said she wasn't going to play this year.  She was tired of being picked on.  She was even called "gay" for playing baseball with the boys.

Of course I explained how we have to follow our hearts, follow our joy.  We have to always be true to ourself no matter what others think we should do or how we should be.

I think she understood.  Tonight I was so proud of my beautiful daughter with hair to her waist.. the only pony tailed girl baseball player on the field.

The season, now over was a terrific time for the "only girl baseball player". After spending many hours in the batting cage she hit a ball high and to outfield.  We were playing an away game in a small town nearby.  We had played them several times before and won.  This game was tettering on the edge as our kids were tired.  When  The Girl got up to bat, she was mentally ready to hit the ball.  She missed the first one, but nailed the second pitch high and out.. The crowd screamed, stood and yelled while clapping and telling her to run.. run..

The Girl Baseball player got her hit and her run.. and a new dose of respect as the game was over and the coach from the other team came to our dugout and said if he had a ball, he would give it to her.  Both teams broke through and offered her team spirit.

As her mother I was in tears with several other of our parents when she hit that ball. 

Sadly, the next week she injured her knee and missed the rest of the season as she had to under go rehab rather than surgery.  Our team went on to All Stars and lasted quite a while this year.  Now we are preparing for bike races and tricking.. knowing that the next ball season is just a few months away and the Only Girl Baseball Player says she will paly again next year.