C-zing the Day

As I watched my kids eat

their breakfasts this morning,

this first day of a new school

year morning, it all came 

back to me.  The teen angst

of new teachers, new schedules

and the pressure to fit in.

And the courage it takes to

walk out the door on that

first day.

Life takes courage.

Not just for the big dragon

slayers ~ military, police,

fire fighters {thank God

for them} ~ but also those

who slay life's smaller

dragons....fearful little 

critters such as

the unknown

pain

loneliness

vulnerability

sadness

aging

worry

loss

In the grocery, as I loaded

up my cart with nourishing

foods, I thought of my friend

Kathleen and her new, never-

the-same-life after cancer ~

cooking more nutritiously,

exercising faithfully,

staying positive ~

not just because it's good for 

her, but because her very life

depends on it.

Courage.

At my doctor's appointment,

I considered my quite young

{and very serious} doctor,

as he quietly entered the exam

room.  Does he take a deep

breath or say a little prayer

before the door opens to an

expectant face and the 

diagnosing that awaits him?

Courage.

Dragon-slayers come in many 

guises, like the elderly lady I saw 

at the craft store parking lot,

walking slowly, slowly, slowly 

to the shop door with the aid of 

her cane.  It was raining.
{What compelled her to come
 here, today?  Yarn?  Paint?}

  I loved her baseball cap, 

sporting the Viking's team logo.

She was plucky in her own way.

Courage.

The TV brought more food

for thought.  All those people

digging out from Hurricane 

Irene or the wildfires that rage

through Oklahoma and Texas.

Property ruined.

Lives upended.

Courage.

Chopping peaches and

tomatoes for salsa, I looked

out the window at my little

garden, my thoughts drifting to

my blogging friend Jane, trying

to be present in her day to day

life with three young children,

while mourning the recent 

loss of her dear dad.

Courage.

The phone jolted me back 

to my own life....My hubby on the

 end of the line....the hard worker

whose job often takes him

from us ~ sterile hotel room,

eating dinner alone tonight, 

instead of chicken and peach

salsa here with his family.

Courage.

Dragon-slayers, all.

And yes, this mama, too, 

putting her kids on the bus,  

taking the snap-shot, waving 

the bus away.  A tiny part of her

bereft, knowing this part of

the journey will be gone in

a flash.

Courage.

Promise me you'll always 

remember:  You're braver

than you believe, and stronger

than you seem, and smarter

than you think.

~ Christopher Robin to Pooh

{Author A. A. Milne}

xx 

Suzanne


all photos:  by me