Ocean

One of the things I love best about my daughter is that she's no wuss. She charges into things without hesitation, and recovers quickly and without a fuss if things don't go quite right.

We took her to the ocean for the first time in March, when it was still too cold to swim. She loved having her feet in the waves, but that was the extent of the experience for her 7-month-old self.

We took the easy day trip to Charleston again when we visited my family in August, to the same beach...because we loved it so much. This time, Memaw and Pop-Pop came along. And the ocean was warm and perfect for swimming.

Amy LOVES the water, but I was unsure of how she'd react to water that, you know...does stuff. She's all confidence and joy in the pool, but what would she do when she got a face full of wave?

So, it was just a joy to watch her walk straight on into the ocean. Waves coming at her? No biggie. Face full of salty water? Well, it didn't taste good, but it didn't dampen her spirits. She loved everything about the experience. She splashed, she kicked the waves, she ate sand. I think we adults were ready to go before she was.

I spend so much of my time being fearful of things, that sometimes it's a marvel to me to watch my kid be so fearless. I love that part of her, and I try and stand back to give her space to try these new things. And maybe learn a thing or two from her about experiencing life and just letting go...and letting God.