I conquered a lifelong fear yesterday. I was raised by a woman who saved her baby sister from drowning when she herself could not swim. My mom was deathly afraid of water and kept us away from it at all costs. Therefore, I have feared water since my earliest memory. This fear caused problems for me. Besides the uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, fear kept me from enjoying the social aspect of water activities. When I had children of my own, I made sure they learned how to swim at a very young age.

As I have aged, I’ve become far less fearful. I learned to sail a Hobie Cat in Mexico ten years ago. And yesterday I learned to kayak on the Ohio River. As I sat on the glassy surface, I thought to myself, “Silly girl, you could have been doing this for YEARS!” I told my friend afterwards that I want to paddle up this river for an hour every morning and float back down with my cup of coffee every day for the rest of my life. I never would have dreamed of doing this before Mr. Virgo died. This experience has emboldened me and made me face down some life long fears. They just fizzled in front of me.

I may be late to the party, but I’m making up for lost time!

What’s next???

❤

“I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.”

Psalm 3:6 NIV