Brave

"I'm not brave like my sisters," She says it quietly, eyes downcast.
We returned home from the park a little while ago. I'm sitting on the edge of her bed, sensing she wants to talk.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"My older sister makes friends so easily, she just talks and plays with them, but I'm scared to. And all my sisters always are so..."
"Bold?" I help.
"Yeah, whatever they want they just DO it."
"Well, I don't think that means you aren't brave. You like to think about things before rushing in. That's good too. I'm just like you, when I'm around people I don't know I feel shy. That's ok, it means we need to get to know people better, to warm up, to start trusting them before we make friends. We like to feel safe. There is nothing wrong with that."
"Oh..."
"But you know what? I think you are very brave."
"Really? How?" She looks up, hopeful.
"Well, you were the first one to give your kitten to a new home, before either of your sisters. You also did it with a good attitude and a loving heart. Even though you knew you would miss her, you wanted her to have a happy life on the farm and for her new family to be happy with her. I think that was very brave."
"Oh yeah!" She's all smiles now, "I do miss her, but I'm glad she's happy."
"Exactly. Bravery doesn't always mean that you go rushing forward into something. Bravery means that you do the right thing, even when it is hard, and you are great at that."

Her eyes have their sparkle again and my brave little girl is running off to play with her sisters.