Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Momentarily Missing

Okay, so it was a beautiful Monday afternoon. The sun was shining. The birds were singing, and I was out in the backyard playing a friendly game of bad-mitten with my teenager who was happily done with school for the year. The baby was there with us too, playing in his sandbox.

We headed in, and I noticed the clock on the stove said 3:28. Uh oh, I thought, Georgie, my 10 year old should have gotten off the bus at 3:15. My teenager ran out back to check if he had been walking out one way while we walked in the other. I called the school. It rang like 15 times and finally the secretary picked up. I let her know who I was and that George didn't come home from school. She asked if he went to a friend's house. "No, definitely not!" I said. She called the bus driver en route. She said George was NOT on the bus. Then the phone went dead!

Panic set in. I shook as I made a mad dash for the cell phone and tried to call her back. My fingers wouldn't work. I had to dial twice. I finally got her back on the line, and she said the bus driver had called back. Georgie WAS on the bus...she had accidentally overlooked him. I was flooded with relief, I tell you!

So, I waited by the front door for that bus to pull up. Georgie came bounding down the driveway. I started to tell him what our experience here had been, but then the tears came, and I couldn't even talk. He said, "Ah mom, it's alright. See, I'm fine."

He was glad though...I could tell. When you're the pickle in the middle child, sometimes you feel like no one notices. So, when you see your mother fall into a puddle on account of worry for you, it feels really good. He beamed all night long!

Having a missing child has got to be one of the worst nightmares that can appear to happen in this crazy place! I momentarily forgot about J and His Course in the midst of that day's events. Yet, if this dream has every possible scenario of separation scripted out, and if doing this true forgiveness undoes all of that, well then, my choice is clear.

4 comments:

  1. I can feel your panic AND your relief and I can see the separation scenario you refer to. I'm thankful that you saw it, pointed it out to us, and then had the presence of mind to forgive it. As you did it for you, you did it for us too! Thank you so much!

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  2. You are so welcome, and thank you too for all of your true forgiveness! We'll get this job done yet!

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  3. Reminds me of the Brady Bunch episode where Jan gets special attention from Alice because she's the middle child. Glad everything turned out alright.

    This story reminds me of something I have to add to my book. Giddy up!

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  4. Cool beans, you know I how I love to read your book!

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