Wonder-Filled

To babies, the ordinary is extraordinary. From the moment they are born, they are full of wonder. Like artists, they study each intricate detail of our face, discovering every line, pimple, freckle, or mole. They are seeing the world for the first time! Everything is fresh, new -- everything is an object of wonder -- even a piece of lint, a strand of hair, a button on a sweater.

Remember how you felt when you first saw a ferris wheel? The pink and yellow lights of a carousel? A three-tiered cake with icing roses? When we see the world through a child's bright, little eyes, we experience anew our own childlike sense of wonder.

Wonder is not reserved for children, but they do help us to re-awaken to it in ourselves.

(Photograph of Emmanuel in Kenya, E. Africa at 1 week old)

Be Confident but Careful

I've been a new mom. I've seen thousands during my lifetime. It's not easy -- being a new mom. We have to learn everything by doing! The problem is, we're learning on a very sensitive, tiny little being who cries at the first note of discomfort. No wonder we feel insecure and tentative. We are fearful that our baby might not survive our mistakes.

But they do.