Bravery

This is my sweet little Gabriel at swimming lessons.  I have recently been feeling like it was important for him to learn.  So a couple of weeks ago, we signed him up.  It was fairly inexpensive, and not a long commitment, just in case he freaked out about it.  He goes every Saturday for 30 minutes with Coach DeRahn.  He is actually learning to like it.  He was especially excited this week because Gram was going to take him.  He couldn't stop talking about how he wanted to show her all the things that he could do.  He went on and on about how Coach kept asking him if he had been in swimming lessons before.

The first lesson was especially scary for ME.  I kept waiting for him to completely lose it and I would have to try and calm him down while making sure that Eme and Oliver weren't throwing their little bodies into the pool.  But he was totally cool with everything that they did.

In just the first lesson he learned how to doggy paddle, back stroke, glide and go underwater.  The overprotective mommy in me thought that this was sort of a lot.  I half expected them just to teach him about water safety and how to float.

He is doing really well already.  He is swimming short distances to the side of the pool.  He doesn't freak out every time he goes under.  He doesn't even demand a towel every time water gets in his eyes.  It's like watching him

 change right before my eyes.

For any of you that know Gabriel, you know what an incredible feat of bravery this is for him.  I am extraordinarily proud of him.  To 

watch him conquer his fears is amazing.  He attends lessons every week on my promise that he will be okay, and he trusts me.

He asked me the first time we went why he had to take swimming lessons.  I told him that I thought it was what Heavenly Father wanted for him.  He never asked me again.

Gabriel's acts of bravery have inspired me to ponder my own fears.  I have a goal of handing out some Book of Mormons, but I am afraid.  I have a fear of rejection.  I also fear that I will offend people.  I think that while watching Gabriel learning how to swim, I realized that I need to just jump in.  Take a leap of faith.  And trust that this is what my Heavenly Father wants me to do.  I might have a lot to learn the first time, but I know I will make progress.  And maybe someone else will gain happiness because I was brave.