Challenging the risks or is it risking the challenges?

At the beginning of the summer I met someone who knew about Ivey but they had never met me.  And like many others they have kept up with Ivey through this blog, even though they have never met Ivey in person either, she was someone who knew Ivey as a life force and a miracle in the present.  Upon the meeting, this person quickly assessed me in the living flesh too.  Where I am most noted as being "Ivey's" mother (in most introductions) there is apparently some expectation about who I am because she said,"You are nothing like I expected".  As you can imagine, I am still trying to decipher that little comment.  There are loose ends dangling everywhere off that one. 

No matter the image hanging out there here's what I do know.  I try to give her wings even when fear consumes me.  My husband is exactly the same, which results in two boys having no fear when it comes to their sister.  And I guess we do a pretty good job of pushing fear down in the right moments, all of which results in having friends who see no limits when they look at Ivey -

or then again maybe it has absolutely nothing to do with us at all- just a divine weaver weaving the right people into this child's life - inadvently and graciously into our life.  Maybe it is really all of them teaching us to challenge the risks and risk her challenges, giving us the courage to give her wings. 

She loves riding in boats, but this took her over the top.  My girl loves things that go fast and toss her around like a ragdoll. 

So here's to our friends - who challenge us to challenge the risks -

(I only wish you all could see the enormous smile on that child's beautiful face (and her daddy's)! P.S. the boys had a blast too! )