Memories Monday

Easter Monday, 2006. Mirthe has been asking for weeks when she can learn to ride a bike without training wheels. Eric spends about an hour outside with her, then comes inside and hands the baton off to me. I go out and run behind her for half an hour, yelling GO MIRTHE and GREAT JOB but she still won't let go of my finger, she wobbles a few feet and then falls over. And cries and cries, her spring jacket is wet with tears. It's getting on toward 4:30 and I have to start making dinner. I tell her we'll take a break, she can watch a little TV and then when the soup's on we'll go back out.

She comes in with me, helps me start the soup and then sits down to draw. After a few minutes she comes over to me and shows me what she's drawn -- Mirthe on her bike, and me in my black coat, standing right behind her. It's one of the most beautiful drawings she's ever made -- not the greatest but certainly beautiful. I tell her how proud I am of her. She beams, the light coming out of her illuminates the whole kitchen. She gives me a fierce hug and goes and gets her bike out of the back yard and heads back out into the street. For the next two hours she practices and practices, and it goes wonderfully. It goes better than when we ran next to her, letting her hold onto to us, giving her a reason not to try it on her own.

Let her go. I need to remember that.