Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/choosing-courage-in-a-time-of-fear/5016241/
Four years ago, I arrived at the hospital the day after my niece Kathryn was born to hold her for the first time. I remember being surprised by both her fragile body and the powerful spirit I could already feel in her. I felt unprepared to hold her and after an hour being with her I was ready to leave. How would my sister know what to do with this little being?After a couple of months I saw her again at Thanksgiving. When my sister handed Kathryn to me, she was more alert and aware; and soon after she came into my arms, she began to cry. Her cry sounded to me like an indictment: “You don’t know what you’re doing!” I felt like she could sense my discomfort. My first response was to hand her back to my sister and tell her it was okay �" I did not need to get too close. I would become more involved when she could talk!
But watching my sister with Kathryn helped lower my anxiety. I began to see that while she might cry, she would also laugh and smile. I began to take her in my arms, and when she ...