My Last Day of Gymnastics

Today was my last day of gymnastics for the semester. On the last day we have an awards ceremony. All of the parents bring their cameras and it is a fun event. Notice that there are no pictures of me for the awards ceremony. Read on and you will find out why.

Here is the scene. We are in the gymnasium. About 12 parents and their kids are sitting on the big red mat looking at the "stage." The stage is a thick mat about three feet high and three feet wide with little stairs going up each side. In the background there is majestic, Olympic-type music playing.

Teacher Allie begins calling each kid by name to come up the stairs, receive their medal around their neck, and raise their arms in triumph. I anxiously await my turn. A few times, I start to stand up to run to get my medal, only to realize that it was not yet my turn. Some of the kids are too shy to come forward, so their moms have to come with them. Most kids run up the stairs as their proud parents take pictures.

Then, Teacher Allie called my name. I jumped up and ran up the stairs. I had a huge smile on my face. Teacher Allie put the medal on my neck and I raised my arms in the air and smiled even bigger. I was looking at mommy and she was smiling so big, too. I ran down the stairs, ran up to mommy and said, "Mommy! Take a picture!" That was when I found out that the batteries had died in the camera mommy brought with her. Oh, well. Mommy says that some memories will just have to live-on in our minds. I know that I won't forget this!