Gratitude Post 20 - Erica

I am grateful for my daughter, Erica. She's special in many ways - smart, talented and (aside from the occaisional tween attitude) a really good kid.

One of her loves is reading. Since the first grade, Erica has been an avid reader, devouring book after book after book. Because of her, I have started to read more (she started me in on the Harry Potter and Twilight Series). Another one of her skills is writing - during a parent - teacher conference, her writing teacher provided me with her writing samples, one that I am sharing today. Erica's teacher indicated that she rarely grades a student with a perfect score for writing, but the following narrative did receive one.

Erica's Narrative, written 10/10/2008, as she describes riding on the Top Thrill Dragster Coaster at Cedar Point:

I reached upward for the seat-belt thing with shaking hands. The sound was ominous to me as it clicked into place, holding me firmly to the back seat. As if the loud beating of my excited / horrified heart wasn't fast enough, someone spoke into the microphone a little louder than necessary, making me jump. But then the roar of the engine blocked every other noise out. Slowly, we pulled out of the station-like garage. We stopped right in front of what looked like a traffic light, but it had four lights. I knew that when the last light turned green I would be on the ride of my life.. It flashed! And we were gone.

I think I left my stomach back there. But my heart was definitely still with me. Even with the heavy pressure of air weighing against my chest, my heart still managed to get through, and the sound of it was throbbing in my ear. Sure I could breathe, but the strong pressure against my tense body was getting to be too much to handle. I gasped wildly for air, gripping the sides of the seat. I let out a tiny shriek, but that was all I could manage.

That had been the longest seconds in my life. I felt like the pressure would crush me when it lifted. But I lifted with it. I was shooting straight into the air. Then it twisted, and I couldn't see anything. Now we had reached the top.

I made it! I actually conquered the worst! The rest couldn't be so bad. So I let my body relax. I knew that I would never, ever regret my choice. And as we pulled into the station-like garage, I wasn't scared anymore.

So, what do you think? I think it is pretty amazing, and I am so blessed to have Erica as my daughter.