A Leg Up

There are so many celebrated firsts in a child’s life like the first smile, the first time a baby sits up, crawls, cuts a tooth, and takes a step. Then the celebrations seem to stop. The firsts aren’t quite so celebrated anymore, but sometimes they are just as monumental. Sometimes we view them as developmental milestones, and yet they are expected so we don’t celebrate them. Things like reading and writing first words get lost in the everyday struggle, and just as the child reaches those goals, there is a press to get to the next level without stopping to savor the accomplishment.

Yesterday Zac had one of those firsts. Not in academics like reading or writing. He does those well, and has been for years. Yesterday he rode a horse for the first time. Oh, he’s been on the back of a pony before, at a friend’s third birthday party. Daddy held him in the saddle as the pony was led around a ring. But yesterday was different. Yesterday was the realization of a dream for Zac, and a new beginning. Yesterday rode a HORSE; an Arabian named Justice. A horse that he had to groom and tack. One on which he learned that guiding a horse doesn’t just happen with the hands, but with the whole body. One for which he learned that a gentle, quiet tone is more accepted and obeyed than being loud and abrupt.

Yesterday I watched my son grow up a little more. I saw him care for another creature and take pride in what he did. I watched him take instruction from an adult who isn’t his parent. And I watched him take pride in himself. Yesterday was a first that we will celebrate and upon which Zac will continue to build.