Appreciating the Little Steps

My younger daughter Leora has hypotonia. Ever since the age for sitting up she has not reached the developmental milestones on the scheduled time. She’s been going at her own pace. It has taught me to appreciate the little steps she has taken and to have patience when she is not progressing as quickly as I’d like.

Like many of you, I have been homebound for much of the past month trying to avoid public places to flatten the curve slow the spread of COVID-19. That has enabled me to spend much time with my wife Karina and with both of my children, Ariela and Leora. During the past month I have seen Leora begin climbing the steps, cruising, and as recently as yesterday standing in place for a split second. Seeing these small steps, which I did not appreciate with my older daughter Ariela, have reminded me of the importance for each of us to embrace and celebrate what is going on in the present. While I certainly wish that COVID-19 was not here and my heart breaks each time I hear another person I know with the virus, I wonder if I would have paid attention to these little steps Leora takes if I was going about my regular routine. I’m not sure I would have noticed or appreciated these steps.

In every crisis and challenging time I look for a silver lining to hold onto. In the age of COVID-19 I am looking to how I can appreciate the steps taken by both of my daughters in their development and growth. Rather than rushing to get outside, perhaps each of us can see what is going on in our homes and find things to appreciate and in which to take pride. I can’t wait to see both my daughters’ future accomplishments, appreciating each step as it comes and patiently waiting when it does not arise as quickly as I would like. I hope each of us will have the patience to wait calmly until it is safe to go out and return to ‘our regular routines’ while we make the most out of every moment of this time at home.