I should probably be taking a nap right now. However, after the morning we had, I also feel the need to process what happened and my thoughts, and since I don’t journal per se, this will be my outlet. Sorry - don’t feel obligated to read anymore if you don’t want to, I’m just layin’ it all out like it is.
So this morning, instead of following my first inclination to ignore my computer and all the lists I needed to make for the day/weekend and go read my Bible in the living room, I decided to make a quick check of email and write my agenda for the day, along with grocery lists, et cetera. Well, as you can imagine it didn’t end up quite so “quick” - I think I got on Facebook and a couple of other random things. Realizing the house was still nice and quiet (aside from the train whistle which never fails to blare right by our neighborhood first thing in the morning), I decided I still had time to read my Bible. So I shut my computer down and opened our bedroom door. Noticing I could hear the sprinklers much better than normal, I glanced toward our front door - and saw the sprinklers going off. Wait a minute - Greg is still in bed, why is our door open??? After glancing out the door and not seeing the boys playing happily in the water (which is what I was praying for earnestly), I ran down to their rooms. Not seeing them in bed, I yelled for Greg and ran out the front door down the street to the one place I knew they would be - the railroad tracks.
There are 2 sets of tracks we are blessed with - one right across the street whose train never blows its whistle but nearly shakes our house down, and one that crosses it at the far corner of our street about a hundred yards down the street and behind the houses. The crossing of tracks is fascinating to our boys - it involves a train bridge and a creek, and many evenings Greg takes them down there with the hopes that a train will pass. They call it their “Secret Place”. Sweet, huh? What boy could ask for more?
After yelling their names hysterically while running down our street in my pajamas and barefoot, I arrived at the Secret Place with no evidence of the boys anywhere. I was sure they would return my calls by yelling “Mommy, we’re right here!!”, but no luck. This is when I started panicking. I ran back down the street to our house and met Greg on his way to the tracks. This is when I told myself not to panic, took a deep breath, and went into rational mode. I called our friends (who happen to be neighbors) Michelle and Shannon and both were so awesome and said “We’ll be right there”. Then, I called the police and hopped in the truck to drive around and pray. I had to do something - as a mom, I couldn’t just sit at the house. The dispatcher took all our info and sent the local police to the house. I turned around and drove back to the house and started doing so many random things - picking up towels from the night before when Greg had bathed them while I was at work; putting dishes in the dishwasher, making the bed… I still can’t explain all of that, except that I had to do something. I had so much adrenaline. Finally, I went out the front door (and got soaking wet, again) and saw a neighbor walking down the street and asked if he had seen 2 small boys “this high” with blond hair. He said no, chalked me up to a crazy woman, and walked off. Who knows what the neighbors thought this morning??
By this point, the boys were gone in my mind. I was the woman you see on the news at 5:30, the boys’ names were already on the “Amber Alert” signs on the highway and news, and the rest of our lives were completely unknown. I was crying out to God and praying for a miracle. I’m not sure why I was so hysterical, but I had thought of just about every possible scenario they could be in. Still, I felt God’s presence and peace and knew that even if we didn’t find them, He would be with us.
I realized I hadn’t talked to Greg since he ran down to the tracks, so I walked up and down the sidewalk waiting to see a neighbor or the police car. I turned back to go back into the house and suddenly hear Greg calling,”I’VE GOT THEM!!!” What?!!! As I turned back around, I saw Greg carrying Brady and holding Keenan’s hand and, for some reason, walking very slowly. At the same time, the police car came around the corner and saw us and probably put 2 and 2 together. I had called 911 to let them know we had the boys (Greg couldn’t figure out who in the world I was calling) because the police dispatcher had told me to do that if we found them. The police officer pulled his car to our house as we all walked back. About that time Michelle came down the sidewalk and gave me the tightest hug. I can’t tell you how much I needed that - that was when I allowed the emotion to catch up with me. I lost it and felt my legs go like Jello. We all went back in the house and Brady proceeded to tear up the house as though nothing had even happened, while Keenan sat very still and quiet knowing he had done something wrong.
The officer stayed and made sure we were all OK (although I think he would have recommended therapy for me), and gave Keenan a good safety talk and shook his hand. Meanwhile, Ronald had already sped over to our house and could see we had found the boys so he called Shannon to let her know everything was OK and quietly left. I can’t tell you how much the presence of friends and knowing that they dropped everything to come help us meant to us!!! Thank you friends - you are God’s Blessing in our life, truly! Shannon told me she and the kids had gotten on their knees to pray for the boys, and got an immediate answer to prayer - how awesome is that?! We have the best friends.
Greg proceeded to tell me the whole story after that. He did not take his phone, so wasn’t able to call me, but he found them relatively quickly after finally seeing Brady’s blanket. Seeing that light blue fleece blanket made his heart skip a beat, I think, because we would not have expected him to leave it somewhere. He went a little further and saw Brady - standing between the rails and throwing rocks. He asked him where his brother was and then noticed a man standing pretty close by. Then he saw Keenan about 20 feet further down the tracks. I’ll have to post pictures someday so you can get an idea. They were further than Greg has ever taken them, and every time we are near a railroad we tell the boys (and ask to make sure they understand) not to ever ever ever go on the tracks. Keenan has even randomly said it before. “Mommy, we never ever ever go ON the railroad tracks.”
The man next to the tracks - God’s grace. While I might have seen it as suspicious, Greg said he was just observing and said that he didn’t want to touch or move the boys even though he could tell something wasn’t right with that picture. I can understand that for sure. He told Greg he was prepared to move them if he had heard or seen a train. Sir, wherever you are and whoever you are - God’s blessings to you!!!
It turns out that the boys had heard that same train that had so rudely interrupted my quiet household this morning and, instead of coming to our room and telling us about it, Keenan decided to grab Brady and go to see it. They were barefoot in their pajamas (Keenan actually just had a top and his pullup on). To get there, they had to cross the street and walk down the tracks. Thank GOD that a train had just come, because they are usually 30 minutes apart or so. Greg said the rocks were killing his feet to get to the boys, so they must have been brutal on the boys. They keep saying their feet hurt and I keep noticing new scratches on them and broken skin on their toes and feet. They must have been so determined. On the way back, Keenan kept telling Greg, “But Daddy, I held Brady’s hand the whole time!” Um, good son, thank you for looking out for your brother, but that really isn’t important here. We had a time of talking to the boys and telling them that God kept them safe, but also telling them the rules they broke, and that they are losing some freedoms for a while. Keenan is probably scared to even look at a doorknob now. After that, we held hands and prayed to God thanking Him for keeping them safe, and for His grace and mercy through the entire situation. He is way too good to us - our boys in all likelihood could have been taken by someone or run over by a car or train. Praise God my boys are safe and sound in their rooms napping right now. Which I hope to be doing soon as well, if my mind will stop racing.
If you made it this far - thank you for reading my thoughts, and thank God for your family and friends. I know that sounds very cliche, but I can’t even tell you how evident his grace is to me right now. I will probably have to post more thoughts on this later but for right now, these verses reflect the bulk of what I feel right now.
Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
Psalm 138:1-3 “I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased…7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life, you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
