These Precious Things

"Pain is the payment for each precious thing," was a quote from this week's episode of CSI:NY. I've watched it from time to time but I'm not a super fan by any means - I was flipping channels and it just happened to be on. One of the CSI people was recovering from being shot and having to learn to walk all over again. His co-worker told him the quote I mentioned above, talking about how he needed to try harder to learn to walk for his precious little newborn baby. At the end of the episode, his wife (girlfriend?) wakes up, hearing the baby crying on the baby monitor. She gets up and goes to the baby's room only to find that the CSI is already up with the baby, shuffling around the room and patting it's back. She smiles as tears fill her eyes. It reminded me of two things - one, a very good friend of mine who recently went through that process of learning to walk all over again and two, the first steps we take as babies.

The first thing was a long and still continuing process for my friend. She spent most of last winter sick with meningitis. She ended up having her legs amputated, getting new legs and learning to walk all over again. It has been amazing to see her accomplishments. When she sent me the pictures of her first steps with her new legs, I cried. I'm very proud of her and all the things she has done. She has come a long way and I believe she will go even further than anyone has ever imagined as time goes on.

The second thing, our first steps as babies, are a huge, well..."step" in our life. We learn to roll, to crawl, to smile, to eat and eventually to walk. And once your children start walking, that's it! Soon they're getting into things, following their siblings, growing taller & stronger, reaching more & more milestones and moving on up out of our lives. Before we know it, they're adults with families of their own. When my son took his first tedious steps across the floor, tears immediately sprang to my eyes - my little guy was growing up! I was so proud. Now he tears around all over the house! :) I know I will do the same thing all over again when my daughter learns to walk too.

So that first big step is a big part of all of our lives - whether we're learning to walk for the first OR the second time. And sometimes it requires a little pain. But it's good to remember that "pain is the payment for each of our precious things."