by Alena Pitts
“Want to color?” Ashton asked.
“Maybe later,” I answered. I reached down and pulled out my black notebook. “Do you guys want to see the shirts I am designing for the fundraiser?”
“Oh, yes!” Mom closed the refrigerator door and joined us at the table. Amber and Ashton sat up on their knees and leaned in close. I opened the notebook and everyone immediately started choosing their favorite ones.
“Lena, can we show Mallory?” Ansley squealed.
“Oh, yes! What a great idea. I’ll call her.” Mom grabbed her phone and dialed.
When Mallory’s face appeared on the screen we all giggled and moved so close together that I could feel pieces of Amber’s hair brushing against my cheeks.
“Hi, Daniels family!” Mallory’s smile was big as always.
“Hi!” we all shouted back at her.
“Girls.” Mom looked at us and said, “Everybody back up a little so that Mallory can see everyone.” Mom pointed out that only pieces of each of our faces were actually visible on the tiny screen.
“Hi, Mallory,” Dad joined the conversation. “Lena has been doing some planning and working on some details for the fundraiser, and it looks like this event is actually happening!”
“Wow! Lena, that’s great news! So, you have a place?”
“Yes! My school has agreed to let us have it there! Now we just need to choose a date.”
“I’ll get Sammy, my road manager, to email you some options that work with my calendar. This is so awesome. I can’t wait to share the news with Caroline and the others!”
“Great. We are going to schedule a meeting with the school staff that is helping and any other adults that may want to pitch in for early next week. Having your available dates will be helpful,” Dad said.
“Okay, sounds good. So I’ll perform and then what else do you have planned? Also, have you thought about how much you will sell tickets for? Details like that?”
“Oh, no, not yet.” I kept listening but added “ticket price” to my to-do list in my notebook. I also needed to remember the extra cost of VIP tickets if Mallory was okay with doing that at the concert too.
“Okay, well you will need to create a budget so that you know how much the event will cost you. This will help you decide how much to sell the tickets for and give you an idea of how much you will make.”
I looked at Mom and Dad. They were both nodding their heads like they knew exactly what Mallory was talking about, but I had no idea what she meant. No one else had mentioned a budget or cost. Actually, I didn’t even know what would cost money. The point was to raise money not to spend it. Mallory had already agreed to come for free and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to have to pay the school either. What will cost money?
I decided to talk to Mom and Dad about it later. For now I just added the word “budget” to my to-do list and filled Mallory in on our ideas for the T-shirts.
“I love that, Lena!” She clapped her hands together when I mentioned the shirts with each patient’s name. “Do you know anyone that can print the shirts? Maybe we can get them donated.”
“Donated?” I asked.
“Yeah, companies will sometimes donate things when they know you are doing something for a good cause. Otherwise you will have to spend a lot of money up front on buying those and getting them printed. You should try to get bottles of water donated too.”
I was trying to make a note of everything Mallory was saying. My to-do list now covered an entire page.
“Check with your school. They may have a good printer for the flyers and other advertisements like posters and a vendor for the shirts. Let me know what they say.”
I looked to Mom and Dad for help. I had not thought of any of the things Mallory was saying and the more she talked the more overwhelmed I felt. Before this conversation I felt like I had already accomplished so much. Now I began to wonder if I was getting in over my head.
“Well, Mallory, looks like you’ve given Lena quite a long list of marching orders! We’ll sort it all out and have some more details for you after the weekend and our meeting next week,” Dad said.
“Perfect!” Mallory said in a chipper voice. “I’m going to call the families now and tell them the plan! They will be so excited to know someone is trying to help!”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Mallory!” Mom leaned over our heads to make sure Mallory could see her face.
“Bye, girls!”
“Bye!” we all said at the same time.
Once Mom pushed the end button on her phone I cried, “WHAT?!”
Mom and Dad laughed but I was serious. Suddenly this all felt like a really bad idea.
“This is way too much work!” I cried.
“Oh, Lena, this is why you have a team. Dad and I will help you—Ms. Blount, Mallory, Emma, Savannah, and Joey—we are in this together. And we are sure others will step forward to help as word of this great cause spreads in the community.”
“And don’t forget—God will help you too. Just ask Him,” Dad added before telling us to put on our shoes.
He looked at Mom and asked, “Should we just get a pizza?”
Mom nodded and we all scurried off to our rooms to get ready before heading out for dinner.
When we finally made it back home, I was exhausted. This day had been packed with so many new ideas, questions, and things to think about. I dragged myself straight to bed.
Right before I closed my eyes I spotted the little paper Mom had given me. I reached for it and looked around to make sure Ansley was still in the bathroom before praying out loud.
Dear God,
I am starting to feel like this event was not a good idea. There is just so much to do. I really want to help Caroline and the other families, but I don’t know as much as I thought I did. Thanks for giving me friends and people that want to help with this event, but I think I will need more than that. Will you help me too, please?
Oh, and will you help me to not get into any more trouble at school or at home?
Ansley waltzed into the room before I could say amen, so I just moved my lips and said it without making a sound.
“Ansley?” I whispered.
“Yes, Lena?”
“I am sorry for being rude when you were trying to study for science. I hope you pass your test,” I said.
Ansley yawned out the words, “It’s okay. Goodnight, Lena.”
“Goodnight, Ansley,” I yawned out too.
Chapter 8
The next morning I woke up excited for the weekend. It was only Friday but that meant that once I made it through the school day, I would have all weekend to work on my to-do list.
As usual, my friends and I gathered around the lunch table to work as we ate. As we scrolled down the page, words like “donations,” “budget,” and “vendors” caused Emma’s eyes to bulge out and Joey to gasp loudly while Savannah searched for words to try to help everyone stay calm.
In the short time we had for lunch, all we managed to do was make a list of more questions and more tasks that needed to be done. It wasn’t hard to see that we were going to need to meet more often than a few lunchbreaks. I proposed a Saturday early morning time to meet extra but Savannah was a little hesitant to agree. There were so many other activities we were involved in. She reminded us that it was almost time for track season, which meant a Friday evening track practice. She also had church choir rehearsal, and we each had a few other family commitments.
“It’s going to be impossible to get everything done,” she said, not sounding very optimistic.
“Yeah, we just don’t have enough time. We still have homework, projects, and chores to take care of,” Joey agreed while adding more reasons why this event seemed to be falling apart before it even really started.
I sank down in my chair and watched as each of my friends’ faces started to take on more and more defeat. I could tell they were no longer feeling excited, and I needed to find a way to keep them involved and enthusiastic.
No one smiled. I looked down at the growing to-do list and back up at my friends. I remembered what Dad had told me about reading the Bible and knew I needed to tell my friends.
“Guys, remember the devotionals I gave you?”
They nodded.
“Well, my dad gave me one first because I had told him I really wanted to read the Bible but it just seemed like too much information and it was overwhelming.”
Emma, Savannah, and Joey stared at me intently. They also looked confused.
“So, Dad told me that you read the Bible the same way you eat an elephant.”
I couldn’t say those words without laughing. They joined me.
“Lena, what are you talking about?” Emma blurted out in between giggles.
“Well, you would eat it one bite at a time, right? Just like you do anything else. So no matter how big it is, you have to take it in little pieces.”
I watched as Dad’s words started to make sense to them too. I reached down and picked up the black notebook. “Guys, let’s eat this elephant!”
“Yeah!” Emma was the first to cheer and everyone else joined in.
“We can’t do all of this in one day, but let’s just choose one thing on the list that we can do today.”
Everyone agreed. We each scanned the list. My eyes stopped at the words “event title.”
“Guys, let’s name our big day!”
Emma and Joey shared their ideas with Savannah. Savannah listened and sat quietly for a second before saying, “The Big Give.”
Emma closed her eyes and smiled. “Ooooh, I like it.”
“Me too,” Joey said.
“Perfect! It’s a combination of both of your ideas! Let’s check it off the list!”
I drew a big checkmark next to “event title” and filled in the name of our event—THE BIG GIVE.
“That felt good!” Savannah flashed a huge smile.
It did feel good and I was glad to see my friends smiling again. We decided that was enough planning for the day. We each agreed to talk to our parents about starting our proposed Saturday meetings next weekend, after we had a chance to meet with Ms. Blount and a concert date had been selected.
As we headed back to class, I listened to Savannah and Emma talk about the upcoming track practices. “They start today,” Savannah said casually.
“It’s only if you want to start working out before actual tryouts.”
“Wait! What? I didn’t know that they started today!” I admitted.
“Oh,” Savannah spoke more cautiously. “Lena, I am sorry. It’s only for people that were on the volleyball team. Since we don’t have any more games, coach said he would start training us for track. Sorry.”
They all stopped smiling and watched for my reaction. I wasn’t mad at my friends for not telling me, but I was sad that I didn’t know and couldn’t go. It was bad enough that I missed playing volleyball over the summer and on the school team because of the movie and tour. Now that I was back, I had worked really hard to rejoin my normal life. Yet somehow, listening to them talk reminded me that I was still missing so much.
“Sorry, Lena,” Joey said again.
Emma could tell from my facial expression that I was sad so she tried to comfort me. “Maybe we could ask if they will make a special exception since you weren’t here for most of the volleyball season?” she said while wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “Or we can just show you everything we learn on Saturday after our meeting! Don’t worry, we won’t let you miss anything important!”
My friends’ concern and willingness to cheer me up made me smile. I rested my head on Emma’s shoulder, and we all made our way down the crowded halls and into class.
I tried not to think about how much fun they were all going to have together every Friday without me, and I did a pretty good job until the end of the day came. It was time for the bus ride home and I knew that I would be alone. I knew a few other people on the bus by now, but I always sat next to Joey and Emma so I never really talked to anyone else.
I sat next to the first familiar face I saw. Her name was Bri, and we talked for most of the ride. She asked if I was the girl in the movie, and I told her yes. I was grateful that she didn’t ask for my autograph and she didn’t even act weird once she knew. I also told her about The Big Give event that my friends and I were planning and she got really excited.
When I mentioned that Mallory Winston was going to be performing she raised both hands to her cheeks and let out a squeaky scream. This made me laugh. I pulled out the picture of Caroline that Mallory had sent, and I told my new friend all about her, her family, and the other families we were going to help. Bri listened carefully and said she could not wait to buy a T-shirt.
The bus pulled up to the front of my house, and I told her I would give her more information soon. “And thanks for being so excited, because having fun while helping others was our goal!”
She smiled and waved as I jumped off the bus. As I walked to my door I told myself that I needed to talk to new people more often. I love my best friends but there was something fun about meeting new people.
Over dinner that evening, I told Mom and Dad about Bri and that even though I was sad to miss the early track practices, I was grateful to meet a new friend.
Dad laughed because he remembered how meeting new people used to scare me. While we sat around the dinner table Dad told me he was proud of me. “It’s so good to see my Lena grow and mature in every way. You have come so far since this whole adventure with Mallory and the movie began.”
I smiled shyly and Mom patted my hand across the table and sent a grin to Dad. “That’s our girl.”
After a few quiet moments and last bites of dinner, Dad sent Ansley for his Bible and said he had a Scripture he wanted to share with us.
We all watched as Ansley’s two curly ponytails bounced down the hall and back again with Dad’s big black Bible. Ansley handed it to Dad and then crawled up on his lap. Dad pushed his chair back a little from the table so that she could fit.
“Okay, girls, listening to Lena’s story about her new friend on the bus reminds me of Matthew 7:12 which says, ‘Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them.’”
Dad looked at each of us. “Do you know what this means?”
Amber was the first to answer. “Be nice!”
Dad nodded his head. “That’s right. If you like it when people are nice to you, be nice back! And if you like it when someone tries to make you feel better when you are sad or lonely, do that when you see someone else who is sad or lonely!”
“Yeah, I like it when people make me laugh. So I always try to make other people laugh,” Ansley added.
“That’s right, girls. God always wants us to treat others how we want to be treated. So be kind, be patient, be forgiving, and always care about the people around you. Like Lena’s friend on the bus today. She could have been mean to Lena or ignored her, but she wasn’t. She talked to her and was very nice.” Dad leaned back in his chair and gave Ansley a squeeze.
Mom sat forward and rested both arms on the table. “This is also why our family is going to work really hard to help Caroline and the other families. If something were to happen to you guys we would want and need people to help us too. Right?”
“Right!”
Mom stretched her arms out, grabbed Amber and Ashton’s hands, and said, “Let’s pray. Ansley, you want to?”
Ansley popped up from Dad’s chest and started, “Dear God, thank you for our family. Thank you for teaching us how to treat each other and the people around us. Will you help us not to be selfish but to always treat others how we like to be treated? Will you help Caroline and help us to raise a lot of money for her? In Jesus’ name, amen!”
“Amen!”
“Oh, Lena, we talked to Ms. Blount today. She can’t meet until next Thursday. She said she wanted you to be able to give Mallory a date as soon as possible so we just went ahead and chose one!”
“Wait? You did? When, Mommy? When?” I begged to know.
“May 2nd!”
“Dad and I already talked to Sammy, and Mallory has it on her calendar! It’s on the school calendar too. So, we are all set!”
I ran to Mom and jumped onto my tippy-toes so that I could reach her neck. I wrapped both arms around her neck and bounced up and down. When I finished thanking her, I ran and did the same to Dad. He kissed me on my cheek and whispered, “Proud of you.”
Of course, I asked if I could tell Emma, Savannah, and Joey the news, and Mom and Dad agreed. I called Savannah first and then Dad helped me get Emma and Joey on the call as well. When I gave them the update, we all screamed and shouted. Our excitement was so loud through the speaker that I could barely understand anything anyone was saying. We celebrated for a few more minutes before saying goodbye.
While I was on the phone, Ashton and Amber convinced Mom and Dad to let us have a movie night. Since it was the weekend, they agreed. Ashton, Amber, and Ansley were already snuggled on the couch in their matching purple and blue striped one-piece pajamas. I ran to my room and found mine while calling for them to wait for me. I tossed my school clothes in the middle of my bedroom floor and dug out my one-piece from the bottom of my closet. Once I was dressed I reached in my school backpack and pulled out my black notebook.
“LENA!” I heard Ansley screaming my name down the hallway.
“Coming!” I replied. I quickly opened the notebook and found my to-do list. Right under the words “The Big Give” and next to the word “Date” I wrote May 2nd. Then I drew a gigantic checkmark across the entire page.
I knew we still had work to do but so many good things had happened today that I only wanted to focus on that. The list was still there, but being grateful for the checkmarks made everything seem possible!