... The Source of Gray Hairs

Naively I thought that the early days of parenting would be easy on my auburn locks. How wrong I was. It seems to me that the moment you give birth, the follicle pigments wave their little white flags in surrender (pun intended).

I am ready to own up; it didn't take long to have my first baby scare. It was about 5:30pm on a Tuesday night and we were getting ready for BabyK's bath. My husband was faithfully preparing the bath downstairs and the baby had just finished feeding. Feeling a little rushed against the clock, I swooped her into my arms and foolishly charged down the stairs.

For those that know me well, I don't handle stairs well on the best of days on my own let alone carrying a child. With my mind on the bath and my foot on the second last step, I subconsciously attempted the impossible. The momentum gained while descending propelled me and BabyK forward as my other foot skipped the last stair entirely.

My whole life might not have "flashed" before my eyes, but the moment seemed to pause long enough for the fear and panic to engulf the situation. For an instant BabyK hung mid-air, inches from my grasp, and I hung only a few inches from the floor. When all seemed lost, the inner Barry Allen in me ignited as I swooped my arm underneath her armpit and pulled her close. *CRASH!!*

In shock I laid there with eyes locked to my jaw-dropped husband and my arms clutched to my startled baby. I could hardly believe it. She was safe.

I am thankful for the honesty of other mother's in my life who had warned me of their similar experiences. Whether it is tripping with the baby in arms, or bumping them into the popcorn ceiling, these little ones seem to be more resilient than our natural hair color.

I recognize that this will not be the last time I feel terrified for my child. Soon she will be raising my heart rate all on her own. But that's ok. I know in my heart that whatever happens, she is held in much greater hands than my own. And if I'm not really a fan of silver, there is always hair dye.

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Proverbs 20:29

"The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old"