After the baptism, all the kids are allowed to go swimming. We had two lifeguards, signs posted to watch your kids and life jackets available for all who needed them in various sizes. Approximately seventy kids entered the water. There were probably four hundred people there. Thirty got baptized including one of my new "sons" from Velocity, who I helped coach through accepting Christ at Church camp. I was a crying mess, but it was awesome. I was talking to the dad of said boy when I hear someone calling for a lifeguard.
I look up to see a pregnant mom saying she needs help. I rush over, she points out to a little one eyes deep in water. I said, "Is she going down?" The frantic mom is just yelling she needs help. What is a mom to do? Fully clothed, I whip off the sunglasses and run on water to the little girl. Vince's dad gets there about half a second before me and pops the little girl up. Little girl fine and reunited with the momma. The momma is not happy. The lifeguard comes up as I am exiting the water, but truthfully, she was a little busy with seventy other kids in the water.
As I stand there soaking wet, I am reminded of various pool parties in Arizona when I have done the same. Jump in, get to the kid and worry about your clothes and hair later. I am not patting myself on the back, I think we have all done something similar in some way when it is not our kid in trouble. Jump in.
My question is, why, when I had Cooper and Tatum, who are eleven, and can swim, in life jackets, just in case. There were seventy kids in the water. Why, was a two, maybe three year old, just wading out? I know kids can get away from you, no one knows this better than me, but truthfully, she should have had floaties or something on. I am not mad at the mom, she was quiet angry at us, but I think she was freaked out and everyone has the right to freak out when your kid almost drowns. Water can be very dangerous in very, very little time. That munchkin went one foot too far and was up to her eyes in water. She will probably scream her head off every time she gets her hair washed for the next year. The mom is probably scarred for life too. We have to be diligent around water, drowning is silent. The little girl was not making a sound, her mother was. I am still a little freaked about it.
So, I drove home, quite squishy to change and regroup a little. Came back and several people asked me what happened. Hey, I think any one of them would have gone in the water, they just took a minute to think. I don't think, I just jump, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but mostly good. If a kid is in danger, don't think, just jump. I am pretty good in a crisis, until I can hand the kid over to someone who knows what they are doing, then I freak out.
Any life altering moments in your weekend, or ever? Share the chaos.
God bless you and yours. And watch your kids around water.
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Having my 20 year old's wisdom teeth removed...and as soon as the pain meds go in they come up , along with great amounts of red fluid from both nose and mouth. At least I could calmly say to my husband, please call the Dr. instead of panicking and calling 911 (my first instinct!)Talk about scary...Now I have to get her to eat to take more pain meds. She keeps yelling at me to go away and quit nagging. Not much has changed!!
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