Rebound (The Crossover Series)

by Kwame Alexander

What I need is to get far away from here, I say, but she doesn’t understand that I’m talking about this place of sadness I’ve been living in

Insincere. As in, you don’t really mean it. Your gratitude is disingenuous. But I’m still on punishment.

Scientific studies have proven that writing in a journal can keep you healthier, emotionally and physically.

Beethoven, Picasso, even George Lucas, the guy who made Star Wars, had journals. It works,

sometimes a song can remind you of something you’re trying to forget.

Hustle and grind, Alice. Freedom ain’t free.

she walks like there’s music in her roots.

“Can’t” is a word for losers who are afraid to try.

Boy, when you get the chance to shoot, you gotta launch your best shot. Full-court press your fears. Keep it moving!

Wanna be a gem in the gym? Be golden in life. Wanna be a baller? BE A STAR DAY AND NIGHT,

A parent should never have to bury their child. NEVER! It’s just the hardest thing to bear.

There’s a master plan, and I’m not the master. We just have to trust in the plan.

In this life, rain’s gonna fall, but the sun will shine again,

as long as I remember him he’s still right here in my heart

it’s just one miss, but you’re gonna have a whole lotta makes in this life, ’cause you’re just that good, and it’s okay to be down and upset as long as you’re not down and out.

Own the sadness, don’t let it own you.

I want to be the hero in my story.

Losing is a part of the game. There’s always rain in spring. Champions dance through the storm. I’m good.

This is a team sport. You can surround yourself with people who don’t play by the rules, or you can surround yourself with those who do. But if you choose wrong, don’t start complaining when the coach takes you out the game.

You put the wrong people on your team and you gonna lose every time, whether you meant to or not.

You gotta focus on righting YOUR life, ’cause you got a right to life. We’re all suffering, and it’s okay to feel what we feel, but we still here. We still here,

You’re not always gonna swish. . . . You gonna miss some. Heck, you gonna miss a lot. That’s the way the real world works. But you gotta grab the ball and keep shooting.

I tell you what, though, you’ll make a lot more than you miss if you’re not always going for the flash and flair. Try using the backboard,

We are all going to figure this out together, ’cause we’re a family and nothing matters more than family,

There’s hope. There’s always hope,

aim high, reach for the sky, take your piece of this world, and make it into something sweet.