Moments of Fear

A second can turn into a lifetime. Your heart is beating out of your chest.

Have you ever not known where your child is?

Your mind works differently as a parent, doesn't it?

Have you ever thought to yourself "even though I am near to my child, what if someone ran past real fast and snatched them up"?

Saturday afternoon, we were at the park. There was a festival going on. I was talking to a classmate. Jon was right behind me with the kids on the playground.

Problem: Jon thought Austin was with me.

It was a matter of seconds, but neither of us knew where Austin was.

I found him standing on the other side of a gathering of people a few feet away, in the middle of the basketball court all by himself. He had tears in his eyes and his little finger in his mouth.

You don't want to panic, but at the same time, horrible thoughts are running through your head. Once found, you scoop them up and hug them with all your might. All of this in a matter of seconds. Seconds that seem to last forever!