From HALF A CHANCE"Lucy, we're going to love this place!" Dad called to me from the porch of the faded, red-shingled cottage with white trim. "We can hang a swing right here and watch the sunset over the lake. And these country roads will be great for biking."While my little dog, Ansel, explored some ferns, I took a deep smell of the pine trees lining the dirt driveway. "I'll buy you a new bike when I get back, Lucy. Would you like that?" Dad asked. "Maybe we can get two bikes," I yelled to him. "So we can ride together." "Great idea!" Dad always promises me things before he leaves and then forgets by the time he's home again. But I couldn't help having that little bit of "I hope so" that this place would be different. That's the thing with new beginnings - sometimes, they're more than just starting over again. Sometimes they change things. "There are more boxes in the van," Mom said, carrying a laundry basket full of kitchen stuff past me and across the flagstones leading up to the front porch steps. "I'll get them in a minute," I promised. "Ansel needs to stretch." But really, I wanted to take my first New Hampshire photo before I went inside and everything got busy. Whenever we move, I take a picture as soon as we arrive. It always makes me feel a little braver, knowing that on some future day I can look back at that photo, taken when it was new and scary, and think, "I made it." Like creating a memory in reverse. Excerpted from Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
