Join Our Incredible Thanksgiving Feature: Share Your Family Story of Gratitude

Why Your Family Story Matters

Family stories anchor identity. They teach resilience, pass down values, and illuminate the “why” behind the work—those early mornings, late nights, and long drives. In softball, a player’s growth is never hers alone; it’s shared by parents, grandparents, coaches, mentors, siblings, and friends who show up again and again.

Join Our Gratitude Collection

In honor of National Family Story Month and Gratitude Month, we invite players, parents, and coaches to share reflections on the family support that shapes your journey.

What to send (no strict limit):

• A brief story of gratitude (how your family lifted you up in softball or in life).

• Photos that brings the story to life (family, game day, practice, or a quiet moment in between).

• Your name, role (player/parent/coach), team/school, class year (if applicable), and hometown.

How to submit:
Email your story and photos to extrainningsoftball@gmail.com with the subject line “Family Story & Gratitude – November.” Be sure to label your photos with names.

Deadline: Nov. 18, 2025.

Publication: We will feature selected stories on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025) and throughout Thanksgiving week across Extra Inning Softball’s platforms.

A Note on Voice and Respect

Tell the truth of your experience—whether it’s a small quiet kindness or a milestone moment. Honor the people who stood in the gap, the ones who believed before the results arrived, and those who kept you grounded when success did. We welcome concise reflections, longer vignettes, or photo-first stories with captions.

Pictured left to right: Bonnie Holland, Helen Holland (grandmother, center), David Holland (father), Olivia Cromer (daughter), and granddaughter.

The Heart of Five Generations

Each person in our five-generation photo has shaped my life in a lasting way. My grandmother, Helen, has been my greatest cheerleader—her strength and faith guided me through years of balancing school, work, and motherhood. My father, David, remains my steady anchor, raising seven children with my mother, Carol, and offering wisdom I trust completely.

My daughter, Olivia, inspires me with her faith, resilience, and compassion as a wife, mother, and labor and delivery nurse. And my sweet granddaughter brings pure joy, lighting up every room she enters. Surrounded by love, faith, and family—and with my husband, Clarence Taylor, by my side—I am deeply grateful for the generations that ground and uplift me.

Beyond the Diamond

Our coverage will always celebrate softball excellence. But excellence is not measured by stats alone. It’s shaped by gratitude, humility, and the relationships that form character—habits that endure long after the final out.

As I look at our five-generation photo, I’m reminded that time is a gift. Share your gratitude now. Save the story, name the helpers, and pass the legacy forward.

Send your gratitude stories by Nov. 18: extrainningsoftball@gmail.com
We can’t wait to amplify your voices—on Thanksgiving and all week long.