I'll Go With You

Earlier today I was perched on the edge of a precipice, my heart racing, my breathing rapid. Water raced down the cliff into a pool far below, the sound rushing in my ears. There was no turning back. In the blink of an eye I was over the edge, heart in my throat, eyes closed tight, quickly plunging toward that pool.

Sounds dramatic, right? Downright dangerous even. Truth? I was at the Mustang Water Slides at Lake Lopez in Arroyo Grande with a group of middle schoolers and a handful of intrepid parents. But for a risk averse person like myself, that half pipe water slide was pretty darn scary. In fact, I never would have been on it were it not for Jo, another mom on the trip. She knew I was on the fence about taking the plunge and she said the words that we all long to hear when we face a challenge, big or small. She said, "Come on. I'll go with you."

As I drove home from the water park this evening, I got to thinking about all the people who have said, "I'll go with you" in one way or another to me over the years. And I realized that I have people I can count on to go pretty much anywhere with me. Just last week my friend Rick held my hand as I sang at my first open mic. And the entire congregation of my church came along as we celebrated my daughter and her cohort's Coming of Age. In countless ways, mundane and grand, my people come with me every day.

It's like walking around wearing an invisible life vest, knowing I have people who will climb in the raft behind me, ready to take the plunge. What a gift. I just hope the raft is big enough.