Saydee, the 4-month-old angel I nanny, is learning how to stand. A great example of perseverance, she is not discouraged by a minor setback. Wobbling as her knees bend, she topples back into her safety net, or my arms. Wouldn't it be easier to let someone else do all the work? Her mom has been helping her meet the basics to grow: food, sleep, love. I guess growing up also means standing up as well.
Standing up is not easy; standing strong is even harder. I finished a book today, a series of essays written by a variety of educated, busy, and/or successful women who (not so) incidentally are practicing Catholics as well. As a maturing Catholic woman in America, I struggle with how to stand up for what I believe. I struggle with understanding what I believe in and why, for that matter. Maybe it starts with a lot of wobbling, a lot of practice, and some confrontation with the intended belief. Many of us take on a belief from our surrounding influences, but I challenge you, reader, to do some inner digging, some research, and figure out what, why, and how you believe that. Don't forget to consider the other side of the argument. I indeed have some work ahead of me.
In the case of Saydee, she's got some time before she is standing strongly on her own without arm support. In my case, I need all the support I can get- from books, to friends, to God. We all ought to take some time to figure out what it is that we stand up for, and then stand firm in what we believe. I could imagine it takes a lifetime of setbacks, questions, research, and supportive arms to persevere. For a little motivation, this song might do the trick:
Standing up is not easy; standing strong is even harder. I finished a book today, a series of essays written by a variety of educated, busy, and/or successful women who (not so) incidentally are practicing Catholics as well. As a maturing Catholic woman in America, I struggle with how to stand up for what I believe. I struggle with understanding what I believe in and why, for that matter. Maybe it starts with a lot of wobbling, a lot of practice, and some confrontation with the intended belief. Many of us take on a belief from our surrounding influences, but I challenge you, reader, to do some inner digging, some research, and figure out what, why, and how you believe that. Don't forget to consider the other side of the argument. I indeed have some work ahead of me.
In the case of Saydee, she's got some time before she is standing strongly on her own without arm support. In my case, I need all the support I can get- from books, to friends, to God. We all ought to take some time to figure out what it is that we stand up for, and then stand firm in what we believe. I could imagine it takes a lifetime of setbacks, questions, research, and supportive arms to persevere. For a little motivation, this song might do the trick:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Send me your thoughts!