I love our neighborhood because there are so many BOYS for my boys to play with. It seems like every other family on the street has 2 or more boys right around the age of my boys. Yesterday when Henry came home he asked if he could play at a boy's house that is up the street. I agreed and let him walk up the street. Later when George came home he wanted to play and he asked where Henry was. I said that Henry was at that particular boy's house. George didn't know that boy so he decided he just wanted to play with a boy down the road. I agreed to that with the condition he finish his homework first. He doddled and toyed around with his homework for over an hour. When the realization washed over him that he was wasting his sweet playing time, he wrapped up his work and bolted towards the door.
As always, I checked with him about where he was going. We discussed which friend and he left.
I finished dinner I looked at the clock. Shoot, it took me longer than I had expected. Henry had just returned home so I asked him to run to the friend's house and tell George to come home. Henry left and returned with just a few minutes. He said, "Mom, George is not there."
"What do you mean?" I asked Henry.
"George isn't at (so and so's) house."
How odd, I remember George telling me he was going to so and so's house. Because Ruby was sleeping in her crib and Teddy was sitting on the potty chair, I asked Henry to go next door and see if George was there. He returned a short while later with another 'No.' I picked up the phone and started calling around. I called every friend that lived in walking distance. All answered 'No.' George was no where to be found. I started to panic. I went outside and started calling his name. The neighbor's across the street were out playing in the falling snow.
"Does George happen to be over there?" I called out.
"No, I don't think so." The older son called back, and returned to his snow shoveling.
The snow was coming down in fat heavy flakes and building up all around. I scanned the street and asked a neighbor to help me look. A pitying neighbor drove up and down the neighborhood searching...and while he was searching, asked two snow shovelers to help search too. I called even more friends and grandparents...all said 'no.' Where could he be? It was nearly freezing outside and no one had seen him! Flustered and upset with thoughts of absolute horror running through my mind, I decided I needed to call the police. I held back tears as I turned to go inside.
I walked back toward my house and said a quiet prayer for help. The sudden simple thought came to me. Check the neighbor's house again. I shook it off and continued towards the door. Check the neighbor's house again. So quiet and peaceful the simple thought washed over me again. Feeling silly and embarrassed to bother them I tried to shake the feeling; however, the thought persisted. With a sigh, I walked over to the neighbor's house and knocked on the door. The younger son, George's age, answered the door. As he opened the door, he yelled over his shoulder, "George, your mom is here!"
16 SPLURTS:
That is the absolutely worst feeling in the world. I know. I'm glad he was safe and sound.
BTW, is Jilli over there?
Talk about worst fear kind of stuff!
Maybe you can just think of it this way: George was safe, happy, and oblivious all through it. So really, you just got your cardio in for the day. ;-) Your heart rate was probably way up there!! Glad everything worked out in the end.
that's frieky!! I was thinking that you were going to find him in a snow bank somewhere half frozen!! Phew!! you found him...listen to the Lord.
scary! so scary...but at least it worked out ok in the end...=)
That happened to me once, but we found our boy sleeping in his bed under the covers so we didn't see him the first few times we looked in there. I can't tell you how glad I am that all ended well for you.
AHHHHH!!! i'd have been freackin. that's so awful. i like how peggy put it though. you got a great workout. :)
Way to follow the spirit! I'm so glad you found him :)
I can't imagine feeling a worse emotion. When Clint was Sandra's age, he just disapeared. I couldn't find him anywhere. I was also about .2 seconds away from calling 911 when I heard a faint noise. Clint had closed himself in our shed and couldn't open the door.
So Scarey! I'm glad it had a happy ending. I have to say, you are much calmer than I would have been. I think I would have been screaming my childs' name out there door after the first "no, they aren't here" response.
Losing a kid is so scary! Glad you found your boy! Prayer rocks!
All us mothers have been there one time or another. I thought someone stole Kai when he was a baby from wal-mart. Lance had him in the cart and when I looked, Lance didn't have a cart anymore. His mom and come and taken the cart and baby to show her friends. I seriously had a breakdown right there in wal-mart.
What a neat story...scary, yes, but I think it is awesome that you were able to feel and know the special prompting that came just at the right time. I've heard so many stories of mothers receiving divine help when their children might be in danger or in need of help. I always pray that I will be able to receive that spiritual guidance if and when I ever need it. Good for you, Erin, for being "in tune".
I know the feeling. Brooke went missing only to be hiding under her bed....I hate that feeling where you think the worst could have happened to you kid...but it's always such a relief to find out everything was okay!
Two year old Sean was Tristan and I were at Laie Inn while our house was getting tented. Then Sean took off ahead of us to the room when we left the pool. By the time I got up the stairs with one year old Tristan, Sean was no where to be found. After a big, all out search, he was finally found sitting in a room that he found open and empty and was on the bed watching Barney. The volleyball girls staying there had left it open and were in another room and he just went in because they all look the same and no one came back there for a long time. It was a big scare!
Holy Cow Dolly! I would have really been freaked then too. Thanks for sharing.
Freaky! That is so scary, and the worst part is when you have to use a kid to do the running and talking because you are stuck at home. I'm so glad you found him safe and warm.
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