The Paths We Walk

Lindsay Davenport lay sandwiched between her daughters, Ellery and Abigail, on Ellery’s twin bed. She cradled their favorite Bible story book in her lap. It lay open to the chapter on young David and his battle with Goliath. “David found five smooth stones in the river bed and tucked them into his sack,” Lindsay read. The girls were captivated by the artful watercolor drawings that accompanied the text. She lowered her voice a bit to add to the excitement of the story, then said, “He carefully walked toward the battlefield. Goliath, the Philistine giant, was not only huge, but he was also covered in armor. All of the Israelite soldiers were shaking in their sandals. Not David. He was very brave, but his bravery came from knowing that God was with him and would give Goliath to him in victory.” 
She paused for a moment and glanced as best as she could at the tops of the girls’ heads. “Do either of you know what it means to be brave?” she asked. She felt, rather than saw, Ellery’s answering shrug. Abigail risked her precarious perch on the side of the bed and tried to look up at her mother. 
“I think it’s when you do something you’re really scared to do.” 
Lindsay squeezed her oldest daughter. “That’s exactly right, Abigail!” she said. “Now do you remember a time when you were brave?” 
Abigail was quiet and Lindsay could feel her serious consideration of the question. After a few moments, she asked, “What about when you lost your first tooth? Do you remember how it was really loose, but wasn’t ready to fall out, and you told Daddy you wanted him to pull it out?” 
“I ’member that, Mommy!” Ellery said. 
“You do not!” Abigail said, seemingly embarrassed that she didn’t remember the instance on her own. 
“Do so! I ’member ’cause all the blood that came out with it! It was icky!” 
Ellery’s memory of the event apparently prompted Abigail’s own recall. “Yeah, but the Tooth Fairy gave me two dollars and left me a note that said she was proud of me for letting Daddy pull it out with the tooth floss!” 
“That’s because you were very brave, Abigail. It’s really scary to lose your first tooth because you don’t know if it’s going to hurt or what it’ll feel like afterward.” 
“What about a time when you were brave, Mommy?” Ellery asked. 
Lindsay nodded her head knowing there were several answers she could give them. However, the question was the perfect segue into the topic she had wanted to bring up since that morning: her impending return to the work world. “Well, I’m about to have to be very brave here in a couple of days.” 
“Why’s that?” Abigail asked. 
“Well, remember how we talked a while ago about you and Ellery being in school now and that I needed something to do while you were there?” Lindsay could feel Ellery’s shoulders tense a bit under the crook of