Today Iris and I stopped at a newer-to-us playground before meeting a friend for coffee.

She was almost to the top of the ladder when she called out for help. Slightly afraid, two steps from the top.

I put my hand gently on her back. She didn't actually need help. She really just needed a bit of courage. She didn't need me to help her, she needed to know that I believed she could do it.

Today this hit me in a few different ways. The power of having a hand, gently on your back; a person who believes that you can accomplish the task at hand, who gives you that confidence just at the time when you are so close but also slightly afraid that you might not make it.