Lesson learned: Sometimes we just get to be brave

Today took courage. I knew it would be that way. I knew that it would be not so hard for some and really hard for others. I saw the butterflies in their stomachs. But we just had to do it. We had to get through the first day. My first graders just got to be brave today.

They got to be brave when there were a kajillion kids running around before school started. They got to be brave when they said goodbye to their mom and walked through the front doors. They got to be brave in the cafeteria with all of the big kids. One kid got to be brave and ask for help when he realized his class had left the assembly without him. (My bad.) They got to be brave and play with kids they had never met before. They got to be brave and stay the whole day, even though it probably felt like the longest day they've ever had.

But the beauty of it all is that tomorrow will be easier. Less courage will be required. They will get used to things, they will make friends, the hallways will become familiar, and I will eventually stop calling them bud, hun, or "kid in the green shirt." They just needed to be brave today. And maybe tomorrow. And then they'll be able to do first grade.

I totally felt for my kids today because I get it. I know what mustering up courage feels like. Being brave is not one of my most favorite things. I think I thought that once we grew up, we wouldn't have to be brave anymore. Ha.

I've had to be brave so many times in the past few years. I got to be brave in college as I moved away from home and started the whole being an adult thing. I got to be brave on my mission (to the nth degree) as I approached random people on the streets and told them about the things I know to be true...in Polish. I got to be brave as I interviewed for teaching positions. And then I really got to be brave every morning as I walked into work that first year of teaching. I get to be brave in dating as I allow my heart to be put out there knowing there's a possibility of rejection and heartache. I got to be brave this weekend as I was honest with a couple of friends and told them about some things that are hard for me. And I got to be brave today as I put on my don't-worry-I-know-what-I'm-doing face and embarked on another year of teaching.

But just like my first graders who needed to just get today under their belts, I was able to do all of these things because, for just a moment, I could be brave. I just needed to get through the door, onto the plane, into the conversation, my hand in his, standing up, out of the car. In those moments where courage was required, I know that my strength came from a loving Heavenly Father who knew that I just need a little push. Elder Bednar said, "...as you and I face challenges and tests in our lives, the gift of faith and an appropriate sense of personal confidence that reaches beyond our own capacity are two examples of the tender mercies of the Lord." I love that quote.

So while it's not my favorite thing, by any stretch of the imagination, I'm learning that so. many. good. things can come from just bucking up, relying on the strength of the Lord, and being brave for just a moment. Usually that's enough to get you going (or at least get you in far enough that you're stuck and can't back out).