ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt's Place. 
Sooo...I don't know if that's what she looked like or not...but I'm glad she, or one...or 347 of her friends were on the job last Wednesday morning...because my Hopie was in desperate need of her "shou hu tian shi"...or guardian angel.
The end of Innocence, or life as you know it, can happen in a heartbeat. That morning I let Hope out of the car like I always do when it's cold or raining and watched her cross the street to the bus stop. I waved at the other mother parked on the street, got back into the car and watched Hopie playing in the wind. They were bad that day...gusts over 40 m.p.h...blowing the Jeep around...so she was standing there pretending to let it blow her down the sidewalk. She took off her backpack and was letting it blow like a flag in the breeze. I was starting to get pretty perturbed at her and was just getting ready to open the door and yell when she put one arm into it and at that point I realized Claire had taken her shoulder straps off and was trying to unbuckle herself from her carseat. I looked into the rearview mirror and told her to put her straps back on. She didn't, so I counted, "1!..2!" She started to put them on. I took my eyes off the rearview and back onto the bus stop and couldn't find Hope...anywhere. One of the other children was looking frantically to me for help...another car was stopped in the street...I looked up the street and saw Hope's backpack blowing down the middle of the street. I had no time to be afraid or sick or even think. I jumped out of the Jeep and only THEN did I see her standing FAR up the street on the devil's strip staring at her backpack. I saw the bus coming, I yelled at her to get back in line at the bus stop then I took off running for the backpack, praying that the other mother would keep her eye on Claire in the Jeep. I grabbed the backpack, put it on Hopie, who was noticably upset and told her NO MORE PLAYING WITH THINGS AT THE BUS STOP! She squeaked out, "Ok" then got on the bus. As I was standing there watching her get on the bus all I could think of was now Claire was probably locked in the Jeep...with my keys...and my phone(which she wasn't thank goodness). The other mother then let me know that Hope had gone straight out into the street chasing her backpack...and that the the other car that I had seen stopped on the street, had stopped for her.
I looked away for 3 seconds and the things that could've happened...I'm trying not to think about. All I wanted to do was get in the car, follow the bus to school, and bring her home. I don't ever want to let her get more than 2 inches from me. I wanted to squeeze her so tight she couldn't breathe and smell her hair. And then I thought of how many people won't be able to do that to their children because their looking away for 3 seconds had a totally different outcome.
When she came home at lunchtime? It was as if the morning never happened. I scooped her up in my arms and, no surprise to you, started sobbing. She said, "Mama! What's wrong?" I said, "You SCARED me this morning!" Her response? "Why?" I had to REMIND her what happened! And still after both Garry and I talked to her AT LENGTH she was totally unphased. We both said, "But Hope! You could've been hit by a CAR!" She said, "But I wasn't." It was incredibly sweet, honest, Innocent, and frustrating as all get out at the same time!
Do you long for Innocence like that in your life? I know I do. Wouldn't it be beyond amazing to be able to have something so horrible, so terrifying, so dreadful happen one moment...and you could just let it go the next? That IS Hope. She is such a happy, bouncy, carefree child. Not only do I worry about her Innocence getting her into danger, but I also worry about her losing that Innocence. It only takes one smart aleck kid...or one bitter adult...or God forbid, one sick predator...and that happy, bouncy, carefree child...is gone. Those kinds of thoughts...Immobilize me.
And THAT is why I am doubly grateful to God...and Hopie's 347 shou hu tian shi.
Until next time y'all...
The end of Innocence, or life as you know it, can happen in a heartbeat. That morning I let Hope out of the car like I always do when it's cold or raining and watched her cross the street to the bus stop. I waved at the other mother parked on the street, got back into the car and watched Hopie playing in the wind. They were bad that day...gusts over 40 m.p.h...blowing the Jeep around...so she was standing there pretending to let it blow her down the sidewalk. She took off her backpack and was letting it blow like a flag in the breeze. I was starting to get pretty perturbed at her and was just getting ready to open the door and yell when she put one arm into it and at that point I realized Claire had taken her shoulder straps off and was trying to unbuckle herself from her carseat. I looked into the rearview mirror and told her to put her straps back on. She didn't, so I counted, "1!..2!" She started to put them on. I took my eyes off the rearview and back onto the bus stop and couldn't find Hope...anywhere. One of the other children was looking frantically to me for help...another car was stopped in the street...I looked up the street and saw Hope's backpack blowing down the middle of the street. I had no time to be afraid or sick or even think. I jumped out of the Jeep and only THEN did I see her standing FAR up the street on the devil's strip staring at her backpack. I saw the bus coming, I yelled at her to get back in line at the bus stop then I took off running for the backpack, praying that the other mother would keep her eye on Claire in the Jeep. I grabbed the backpack, put it on Hopie, who was noticably upset and told her NO MORE PLAYING WITH THINGS AT THE BUS STOP! She squeaked out, "Ok" then got on the bus. As I was standing there watching her get on the bus all I could think of was now Claire was probably locked in the Jeep...with my keys...and my phone(which she wasn't thank goodness). The other mother then let me know that Hope had gone straight out into the street chasing her backpack...and that the the other car that I had seen stopped on the street, had stopped for her.
I looked away for 3 seconds and the things that could've happened...I'm trying not to think about. All I wanted to do was get in the car, follow the bus to school, and bring her home. I don't ever want to let her get more than 2 inches from me. I wanted to squeeze her so tight she couldn't breathe and smell her hair. And then I thought of how many people won't be able to do that to their children because their looking away for 3 seconds had a totally different outcome.
When she came home at lunchtime? It was as if the morning never happened. I scooped her up in my arms and, no surprise to you, started sobbing. She said, "Mama! What's wrong?" I said, "You SCARED me this morning!" Her response? "Why?" I had to REMIND her what happened! And still after both Garry and I talked to her AT LENGTH she was totally unphased. We both said, "But Hope! You could've been hit by a CAR!" She said, "But I wasn't." It was incredibly sweet, honest, Innocent, and frustrating as all get out at the same time!
Do you long for Innocence like that in your life? I know I do. Wouldn't it be beyond amazing to be able to have something so horrible, so terrifying, so dreadful happen one moment...and you could just let it go the next? That IS Hope. She is such a happy, bouncy, carefree child. Not only do I worry about her Innocence getting her into danger, but I also worry about her losing that Innocence. It only takes one smart aleck kid...or one bitter adult...or God forbid, one sick predator...and that happy, bouncy, carefree child...is gone. Those kinds of thoughts...Immobilize me.
And THAT is why I am doubly grateful to God...and Hopie's 347 shou hu tian shi.
Until next time y'all...
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