Christian – Page 4 – One Word at a Time

Caroline’s Purpose: Pain Excerpt

“A quick glimpse around the batting cages and the dugout showed her she was alone, the first to arrive for practice. The back gate squeaked as she pushed it open and entered the bullpen, the place where she had spent so many hours working on spins and velocity. She shuffled over to the off-white pitching rubber and stared down to home plate. She ran her thumb over the third finger on her right hand and pretended her callous was still there, molded from the seam of the ball burning her skin as it spun away toward the batter.
A blue crate of softballs sat to her left. Caroline turned toward it, thinking about the weight of the ball in her hand. She reached out, feeling the seams with just the tips of her fingers. It was the first time she had touched one since her last game, and it still felt like home.
Without giving it a second thought, she picked up the ball, dropped her backpack to the red clay dirt, and went back to the pitching rubber. She lined up her feet, placing each one with more purpose and exactness than she ever had before. She rolled the ball around in her hand, thinking about the possibility, the chance, that the doctors were wrong.
Just one pitch. One throw, and I can prove them all wrong, she thought to herself. One strike, that’s all I need. Then I can feel the excitement and joy Ryan has. Then I can have a purpose again. Caroline shifted her weight to her left foot, imagining the signal from her catcher. She rocked back, picturing where she wanted the ball to go. She took her stride toward the batter, wound her right arm up and around, and released, snapping the ball off next to her hip. The ball slammed to the ground right in front of her and skidded its way to home plate. Pain shot through her forearm and elbow, taking her breath away. She gripped her arm and went down to her knees, gasping for air…”

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Barnes and Noble: https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/carolines-purpose-erica-zaborac/1138372131?ean=9781611533927

Caroline’s Purpose: Light Excerpt

“The cold breeze lifted her blond hair, blowing it around her cheeks, the ends sticking to her face because of her tears. Caroline pulled her royal-blue sweatshirt closer to her body, setting the hood over her head, and folding the ends of the sleeves over her hands. She leaned back onto the cold metal of the top rail of the bleachers, crossing her arms over her chest and resting her feet on the seat in front of her.
The crowd was thin, so it had been easy to find a seat alone. That was the story of her life now. Alone.
She wasn’t sure why she was here. But between the bad dreams and the loneliness, she had needed to get out of her house.
All of her finals were done. All of her grades for the semester were set. There was no homework to distract her, and no friends to occupy her time. She had made sure of that when she cut off all communication with anyone who had ever cared about her.
This particular evening, tired of staring at the walls, dreading another night of nightmares, she had gotten in her car and left. She had driven around until she saw the lights sparkling against the night sky. The lights drew her in, and she found herself in the parking lot of the ballpark she had spent endless hours at during her little league and ponytail years.”

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Promise

The storm is coming,
But the promise remains.

Caroline’s Purpose-Believe

“He understood more about her than she had ever thought someone could. Maybe one day she would be able to tell him the truth, tell him her own story. And maybe one day, he’d be able to help her believe again.”

Do you need more of Caroline and Connor’s story? If so, Caroline’s Purpose is available now!

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Hope: Caroline’s Purpose

“And he couldn’t help but let that wonder turn into a sense of hope.”

This is one of my favorite quotes from Caroline’s Purpose. If you want to know who ‘he’ is and what he’s hopeful about, Caroline’s Purpose is available now!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Carolines-Purpose-Erica-Zaborac/dp/1611533929/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=carolines+purpose&qid=1610989692&sprefix=caroline’s+purpo&sr=8-3

Barnes and Noble: https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/carolines-purpose-erica-zaborac/1138372131?ean=9781611533927

Another Excerpt from Caroline’s Purpose

Connor rubbed the crescent moon on Luna’s forehead. “Caroline, can I ask you something?”

Caroline lifted her eyes to his as she continued working on Luna’s coat. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Back in the classroom, when we started our presentation, it seemed like you couldn’t do it. You started to talk, but nothing came out. Then all of a sudden, you flipped a switch, and you were fine.” Connor paused, taking a breath.

Caroline stared at him. “I guess I’m waiting for a question?”

Connor laughed. “Right. Well, I guess I’m just wondering how you did it.”

A slight hint of red came across Caroline’s cheeks as she looked back down to Luna’s coat. “If I tell you, you’ll either laugh at me, or think I’m crazy.”

Connor grinned. “What if I promise to do neither?”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “I don’t think you can make that promise.”

“I think I can. I won’t laugh. I just want to know.”

Caroline looked at him, her eyes doubtful, her cheeks still red. “Alright, I’ll hold you to that.” She slid the curry comb off her hand and reached for the lead rope. “Do you want to get her other side?”

“Sure thing.” Connor handed her the rope as he slid the curry over his own hand. He started working at Luna’s shoulder.

Caroline sighed, running her fingers through Luna’s forelock. “In high school softball, we were the Colts. That was our mascot. Our coach put a horseshoe on the wall by the entrance to the bullpen. When we got to the field for practice or a game, we would touch it. It was our way of leaving everything from our day outside, so we could focus on what we needed to do. Just a little mental trick. Obviously, I needed to focus on our presentation, so I pictured the horseshoe and touched it in my head.”

Connor watched as her cheeks turned a deeper red. Caroline wouldn’t look up at him. She just kept running her fingers through Luna’s forelock. “Hey, I’m not laughing,” Connor reassured her as he put the curry comb away and reached for the stiff bristled brush.

“True, but you have to think I’m crazy…”