Last weekend, Hubby and I witnessed our son’s rite of passage.

Our soon-to-be four year old TJ was about to bust out of toddlerhood officially. Within a couple hours, my camera would capture a memory card’s worth of digital pixels of a little boy pedaling on his bike. Without training wheels.

Hubby was a great bicycle coach, breaking down the process in bite size chunks TJ could digest.

With his Daddy’s steady hand on the bike seat,  our little boy coasted with confidence.

After some practice runs, the moment came to release TJ hands-free.

Inevitably, the crash of bike and boy hit smartly onto the pavement.

As tears and frustration grew with each fall, Hubby and I signaled to each other.

It was time for the parent huddle.

Should we call it quits for today?  How can we bring this to a happy close?

As we stood there, an eureka moment hits… Padding!

Mom, Dad, toddler and baby quickly load up into the car and speed over to Target.

With a bag full of elbow pads, knee pads, and a pair of fingerless gloves, we race back with excitement.  It’s all about the gear, people!

Love Works Best

As we suited him up for action, our little guy jumped up and down, rearing to get back out there.

It worked.  Without the fear of falling, a switch was flipped.

As we cheered him on, our son morphed into a two wheelin’ triumph, eyes and smile, flashing with pride.

When we’re afraid of failing, friends who pad us with love can make a world of difference.

Well meaning encouragement to stop worrying or helping analyze the situation can only go so far.

When it comes to learning new things, love works best.

Whenever you find yourself trying to “ride a bike”, take a break and put on some padding.

A Friend To Catch Our Falls

It usually takes me a good number of spills before I remember to grab a friend, to break my fall.

Hi, wanna grab a cup of coffee?

I’d like some company.

I’m trying something new.

For the times I forgot about fellowship, trying to white knuckle my way through, I get pretty scraped up.

Then, I come to my senses, get together with a friend and I remember how good it feels to laugh and smile.

The art of falling requires the special provision God’s placed in friendship:  love.

It’s a blessing to have friends we can trust in, so we can dare enough to fall.

And if we’re hard pressed to find that friend, we need to look no further than Jesus, the Friend who sticks closer than a brother.

New experiences come packaged with some falling. 

But, how sweet it is to ride.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends…

I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master’s business.

Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

This is my command: Love each other. John 15:9-17

Is there a friend who might benefit from your love?

Can you think of a friend you can have a cup of coffee with or just chill?

** FaithBarista News Flash **
** EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL BLEND INTERVIEW TOMORROW **
**Wednesday 10/21/09**
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