What a Day

Plans change. Life happens and you have to alter your planned course. That was today.

I went over the mountain to the feed store we use and picked up dog food and goat feed. Normal enough. Short trip then back home to get on with the needful things of the day. Or so I planned.

There was some commotion at the feed store. Two children ages about 3 and 5 were missing. I don't know how many acres, how many miles as the crow flies, timber land there is out around there, but it's plenty enough to get easily lost in. The feed store itself sits on about 88 acres, then there's hunting club lands and acres of other land. It's a fair piece, to say the least. And somewhere among all that expanse were 2 little ones no one had seen for a good half hour at the time.

Praise The Lord they were found well and fine. None the worse for wear.

But there's something not quite right with the whole thing. Blessings aside, I believe this family needs some heavy duty prayers. And I won't even get into my take on the events of the day. Let's just say I'd have to have been blessed with the patience of Job and then some (which I am definitely not...) to not have decked someone had it been my family.

I understand the whole search and rescue stuff, and "civilians" wandering off to potentially get lost themselves, folks going off half-cocked without a plan and not knowing what the left or right hand is doing. I get all that. But I am not a sit and wait idle kind of person. It's just not part of my DNA. I don't like jabber and conversation when action needs to be made. Maybe, in the eyes of those plan and plan some more folks, I'm the half-cocked one. Probably am and rightfully so I guess.

But we waited...and waited...and no one aside from a couple deputy officers, even looked past the first tree branch for 2 hour. TWO HOURS. Do you know how far even a 3 and 5 year old can get in 2 hours? And what if a car along the highway picked them up? Two hours to jabber and 'coordinate' that plan of attack is a bit much. Two hours too long for action were it my children. I'd be a law enforcement nightmare, and that would be long before those 2 hours had passed.

I know. I said I wasn't going there. I'm not. The 5 counties involved in the search and rescue, the firefighters, police and others, the helicopter search team, those with the search dogs, those who broke out on horseback, all the people who stopped everything to follow those changed plans today...they were all blessed of God with patience, with a heart for others, with a focus of determination. It was a good thing to see a community, several communities, pull together that way.

I am just a person who believes in action. A more swift action.

Although it was rather amusing to notice how things work around here, not that I didn't already know. For instance, women are a more quiet species. And most men, at least around here, seem to like that. I just don't fit in here. I don't have a handle on that meek and quiet thing at all.

Also, most folks think I'm Amish. It's the headcovering. I'm used to it. I just go with the flow. But throw a headcovered, dress wearing, vocal woman in the middle of a search and rescue and watch the fun :o). I was apologized to by the lead guy on the 'team' I was on because he walks fast...not being rude, or leaving me behind, he just tends to walk fast. And if I get tired, you know, no telling how long we may have to be out there hiking through the hinterlands and all, he had water, and a radio. They could get a 4-wheeler out to pick 'whoever' up.

I'm not a spring chicken, but just because I just had a birthday (ok, my 42nd one, but still...) hardly means I'm incapable of searching the backlands. I was polite, though. I know...me, not snappy and a bit brash? Really, I just went with the flow. I told our lead guy not to underestimate the power of a momma with babies of her own. And while I may be a bit directionally-challenged, I do know how to trek the backlands and stay a course. I might have ended up coming out in the next county were I separated from the team, but I'm just not the victim type. I'm not going to sit by a tree crying :o)

Ahh, but life went well and those little ones are back home. And as I said prayers for the entire family would be a good thing.

After all that today we were then called about another issue a friend wanted our help with. Their son decided to see if he could pick up some things from WalMart. Without paying, obviously. Wanna guess how that turned out?

Said parents are no longer local. Said son is living with 'friends' who aren't exactly upstanding citizens with strong family values. So who gets called to help, but friends who are available.

Spare me the notes, ok? It's not an option. I'd give anyone anything and I'd do it gladly if it would help. But there's some things that out-weigh a persons ability to help betond a point. And Dewey went, spent time making a case for said son to be allowed back with those friends, as he has no place else to stay as said parents aren't here.

Yes, it was requested, suggested, said son might stay here a few days. No. Not going to happen. We did get him settled back with said friends but that's the extent of our involvement. And that is a good thing for him moreso than us.

It's been a full day. An unplanned day, but undoubtably filled with far more blessings than what we would have seen following our original plans. The Lord does that...pops those blessings in when you aren't expecting them.