Fridays are all about celebrating the Small Things thanks to a weekly blog hop created by author Lexa Cain. Joint co-hosts this week are authors L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog The mission coincides with what I’m hoping to do with my own writing, inspire and focus on the light when those slippery shadows creep around our shoes. Want to sign up? Click Lexa Cain’s link to find out more.

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Life inside of a child is a courageous place to be. This week as I watched my own children tackle their own separate challenges, I saw myself in my sweet little girl learning to ride a bike. With my son, I remembered the same feeling on the soccer field, waiting as the goalie in that net as the opposing team barreled my way with what seemed like an unstoppable force.

Who doesn’t want a perfect result the first time you try?

Courage is my word of the week. Faith, too. Courage is the driving power to move. Faith is the fuel behind it. As I watched my kids go through their own unique challenges, I also saw them practice both acts within themselves, and being the proud mom who I am, these are the moments I’m celebrating this week.

1. The bike. It’s not easy to learn to balance and trust you can go as fast as you need to go and to stop when you really need to stop without hurting yourself.
2. The soccer game. Being the last man standing on a team and facing a small band of others headed your way is really overwhelming. You want to strategize where that ball is going to land. You want to protect the goal and the team.

Success. My daughter conquered the bike. My son conquered the will to try again through the defeat. When he told me he wanted to play another season, I couldn’t help but glow on the inside.

Remember …