Skip to main content

Almost Lost

It is three in the morning and the wind is howling right outside my bedroom window. It wakes me up and I turn over to try to sleep some more, but soon even Sneezy wakes. Half an hour later, I put him back in his bed and I lay down listening to the whistling of the wind. As I lay there, I reflect on some things since my mind is not at rest and I recall a long ago memory that I had forgotten about for just a little while.

When Bashful was just about three years old, I would take him with me to the grocery store. He was always by my side hoping not to lose me. If he became distracted and lost sight of me, he would immediately panic, not knowing that I knew exactly where he was and I was just a few steps away. "Mama! Mama!" he would yell in fear. I would immediately come to him and calm him. "Mama's right here, honey. It's okay. Mommy would never leave you." It always twisted my heart and made me want to hold him even tighter and never let go.

He was almost three when Grumpy finally made his appearance and gave him a playmate. Grumpy was more of an adventurous type. When he found his legs and began to walk, he was everywhere and I had to keep more of an eye on him or he would be off like a shot. That very thing happened one day when I was very pregnant with Sleepy and Doc was on a business trip.

It was a hot, summer day and we had no air conditioning in our little condo. So, I let Grumpy wear only a diaper around the house. That day, the lock on the screen door was broken and Grumpy was very fascinated with the sliding, screen door. He kept opening and shutting it and, Heaven knows, I would have shut the glass door, locked it, and would have been done with it if it weren't for the fact that we needed the breeze on this swealtering day.

Looking back, I realize I should have been watching him more carefully, but I became distracted. One minute, he was in the house, the next, there was no Grumpy. I looked at Bashful and asked if he knew where Grumpy was. He was always in his own world, so, of course, he didn't know. I ran through the house screaming Grumpy's name, but came to the realization that he actually walked out the back door.

With my pregnant belly in front of me, I ran down the stairs and fell at the bottom step. I looked at Bashful and warned him to stay in the house and I would be right back. Running out the back door, I closed the screen door, and went looking for my little boy running around in a diaper. With my heart in my throat, I passed a group of teenage girls and asked them if they had seen a little boy wearing only a diaper. They said yes and he went "thattaway". They pointed in the direction he had gone and my pace quickened as I neared the street.

Across the street, I saw a nice woman holding him by the hand and leading him toward where he had come from. As I neared them, he saw me and held up his arms. He seemed glad to see me and as I held him close, I looked at the woman with my heart in my eyes and thanked her profusely. I turned and carried him back to our home all the while thinking he could have been lost to me forever.

Right inside the door, I put him down and proceeded to let my anger flow forth. I scolded him and hugged him. I cried and kissed him. He had been glad to see me and I think he had learned a lesson although he did not seem to be overtly traumatized by his experience.

Coming out of my past memories, I look out my bedroom window into the swirling darkness. That had been about five years ago, but the memory of that day still makes my stomach twist and my eyes tear up. I know that someday I really will have to let go of my Grumpy and let him go into the world on his own. May God show us the same mercy that He did on that hot, summer day.

Comments

Heart of Wisdom said…
This was a great post with a moving message. I'd like to gently offer a word. Could you break your post up a bit by adding paragraphs? Its very hard to read in one long block.

Hope you don't mind.

Blessings,
Robin
http://heartofwisdom.com/heartathome

Popular posts from this blog

Dignified Woman

They instructed me to make sure I have a full bladder on arriving for my ultrasound. Ha. I almost laughed in their faces. Pregnant me plus a full bladder equals a disaster. On my son's birthday back in March, I had to drive all the kids home afterward. I had drunk a lot of water and couldn't believe I had forgotten what happens to me when I drink too much water with no bathroom nearby when I'm pregnant. I counted the minutes till I got home all the while breaking the law and speeding trying to keep in mind not to drive too recklessly screaming at the poky people in front of me. It brought to mind the very first time I experienced a full bladder as a pregnant woman. It was my first baby and my husband was in the Air Force. So, when we had an ultrasound we went to the Academy in Colorado Springs. They told me to drink an astronomical amount of water before I came. I did so and then we started out for the half hour drive to the hospital. By the time we were on the

The Top 20 Clean Romance Movies Of All Time

I'm really picky when it comes to romantic movies. I prefer them clean and it's really hard to find those kind of romance movies these days. Nowadays, romantic movies are chock full of butts, boobs, and beds. Just sayin'. I was bored one day and decided to google the top romance movies of all time. You have got to be kidding me. One list had Brokeback Mountain on it. Pulease. I was, in fact, so disgusted by all of the lists that I came across that I decided to make my own. I decided to call it The Top 16 Clean Romance Movies of All Time, well, because I couldn't think of anymore to make it an even top 20. Now, my list might be different from most people. I said I was picky. First, I don't like b***** women. That scratches out a whole pile of popular movies. One of them being Gone With The Wind. Does anyone besides me want to smack that woman? Second, I don't like it when the couple end up in bed together. Uh, I don't really need to know, thankyouverymuch. Th

Candy Stash

As I bite into a luscious Reese's peanut butter cup, I have one thought in my mind. Thank you, Lord, that none of my children have food allergies. Otherwise, I would not be able to steal some of the candy bars from their Halloween candy stash. I would normally consider myself a meat and potatoes kind of gal. I would rather eat roast and mashed potatoes than candy any day. There comes a time, though, in every woman's life when eating chocolate becomes a must. Yesterday, I grabbed the pumpkin full of candy, locked the bathroom door, filled the tub with hot water, and luxuriated in a chocolate fest. It had to be done. May I say that Snickers is the best candy bar ever? Of course, Reese's comes in a very close second. Peanut butter and chocolate were made for each other. I was a bit disappointed to see no Butterfinger bars at all. What's up with that? Aidan probably noticed the less than full pumpkin because he brought me an empty one and told me that we need