"I knew you were going to do that, Mama!"

 The other day Nora wanted to ride her little tricycle through our neighborhood. She came to a slight incline in the sidewalk and before she could start to struggle, I gave her a little push from behind. She turned to me and said, "I knew you were going to do that, Mama! You always help me." And for some reason those words struck me and brought tears to my eyes.

I wish every problem in her life would be as easy to anticipate as struggling up a hill. I wish she'd always be grateful for my help. But I'm so grateful that she knew I would be there to help her, and I hope I never let her down when she "knows" I'm going to do something. 

At the same time I'm comforted by knowing that our struggles are what help us grow. And if I hadn't given her a boost in that moment, her legs would just become all the stronger for going through the struggle. But sometimes it's nice to have the extra push up the hill, and I'm glad she knows I'm always there, ready to help give her that push when she needs it.