In the blink of an eye

Just another story to encourage all of you mothers out there who may feel overwhelmed with parenting...like maybe you're just not cutting it...or if only you could be that perfect mother like --fill in the blank-- (and I'm pretty sure it won't be with my name:)

Have you ever heard parents repeat phrases such as: "I only turned my back for a minute," "I just went inside to answer the phone," or "It couldn't have been more than a couple minutes"?  When Madolyn was five or six and Lane was around two years old, I probably repeated these phrases myself many times, but there is one particular story I thought I would share.

We were at home.  Madolyn, my firstborn, independent, strong-willed, stubborn daughter and I were in conflict (ha).  I had sent her to her room.  Lane wanted to ride his motorized John Deere tractor outside.  No problem.  I told him to go on, but I had to take care of something with his sister first.  I would be right out.  It couldn't have been more than a couple minutes.

I offered the sweet Stinky my motherly wisdom and headed outside to watch my little man on his John Deere.  Only I could not find him.  Anywhere.  Do you know what kind of tractor I'm talking about?  It's the John Deere green tractor with a battery, it's like the little toy cars and trucks they make.  It doesn't have a super loud sound but it makes a noise and you can usually hear it if you're in the vicinity.  I didn't hear anything.  And I, for sure, didn't hear that tractor. 

I hollered for Lane.  Nothing.  I looked in the garage, on the front porch, in the backyard, I even walked around the above-ground pool in case he was behind it peeing or something.  I looked out over the pond, which is directly behind our house, there were no ripples in the water.  He was nowhere in sight.  And he either couldn't hear my yelling or he was ignoring me.

We live down a long gravel driveway off of what I call the main road, which is a narrow country road.  Right where you come out of our driveway, there is a small hill and a creek.   It is hard to see before you get over that hill if anyone or anything is at the base of our drive.  Fortunately, because we lived so far off the road, I'd never been concerned about letting the kids play outside for fear of them getting out in the road. 

I remember exactly what shoes I had on.  They were turquoise plush flip-flop slippers.  House shoes.  I was standing on the concrete approach to our garage and I heard a vehicle out on the 'main road.'  My heart sank.  And I ran.  I ran as hard and as fast as I could in those turquoise plush flip-flop slippers.  I heard the vehicle come to a stop and then start again.  Pit in my stomach.  Waited for screams.  There were none, thankfully.  The whole time I ran, which seemed like forever, I was whispering prayers.

At one point in our driveway, there is a slight curve and a hill.  As I approached that point, I could hear that faint humming sound of the little tractor...I could also hear the vehicle.  I kept going and saw my little man come around that bend driving his tractor, in his boots, without a care in the world, followed by our very good friends in their truck...they were coming to fish in our pond.  They told me that as they came over the hill on the main road and slowed to turn in our driveway, there was Lane on his tractor.  Thank You, Jesus. And thank you to my friends I'll call the "Baird's." 

It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes that I was inside.  It was hard to believe that he got that far down the driveway in such a short amount of time.  Fortunately, my story ended well that day, but it sure makes it easy to see how things can happen in just the blink of an eye.