Almost a Rotten Day!

Written September 5th, 2012

Today I was trimming branches on the cedar tree that is right outside our front door.  About mid-way through the job, I was cutting through a branch when a Yellow Jacket Wasp whacked me in the ear and gave me a good sting (Just for the record, he stung me right on that hard tip of cartilage that is right above the ear lobe, and yikes, is was the most painful sting I have experienced so far in my life).

Now, I do not typically lose my head, however, whenever I get stung by a wasp, I tend to get really mad.  And while I am content to usually leave wasps along and let them go about their business, once I get stung, I go on a mini rampage and destroy every wasps nest I can find.  Today was no different.  Once the pain of the sting began to sink in, I grew quite angry and determined that I would have revenge on the colony of wasps from which my attacker came.

Believing that we were out of wasps spray, I determined I would simply find a broom and give the nest a good whack.  Probably not the smartest idea, but if the nest contains only a few wasps, and if you have room to run, you can sometimes get away with doing this without suffering any additional stings.  And even though you don’t actually kill many wasps by whacking the nest with a broom, it does offer a momentary feeling of satisfaction.

Before grabbing the broom, I decided to locate the wasp nest.  Since I was stung while trying to cut a branch, I figured that the wasps nest was likely attached to the branch I was cutting.  My figuring was correct, and in just a few seconds I located the nest.  And once I located the nest, my idea of the broom no longer seemed like such a good idea.

Fortunately, my wife discovered that we had some wasps spray after all.  And so, with a push of the button, I took my revenge.  While many wasps got away to live another day, I at least got to see a satisfactory pile of dead wasps lying on the ground under the once thriving nest.

It was only as I resumed my chore of cutting the branch that a great deal of thankfulness filled my heart.  Though the sting I received was not pleasant, it suddenly occurred to me that the one sting I received prevented many.  I was less than two second away from completing my cut through the branch when I was stung.  And had I actually completed the cut and sent the nest to the ground, well, let’s just say, it probably would have been a pretty rotten day.

Thank you Father for my one sting in the ear!

Lost and Found!

It was without question one of the most terrifying moments of my life up until now, and yet, it is a moment I will trade for nothing...

Today, as I do most days of week, I went for a walk.  It's a four mile, round trip walk that takes me two miles north from my house then the two miles back south. Though I had no knowledge of what was happening, my wife sent my son to meet me during my walk with an extra bottle of water (it was 100 degrees +).  Based on how long I had been gone, my wife assumed that I was fairly close to returning home and that it would be a simple matter for my son to take the water to me. 

Well, having no knowledge that my son was sent to meet me, and having never crossed his path,  I returned home from my walk, took my shower, then got dressed to go out for the evening (a night out alone to catch up on some writing).  When I was finally ready to head out the door it dawned on my wife that she had not seen our son for a while.  Neither of us was very concerned about this because we just assumed he was up in the field somewhere.  You see, my wife didn't realize that we never crossed paths.  She assumed we met, came home together, and that JJ (my son) then continued on his own to the field.  While at the same time,  I still had no knowledge that he was ever sent to meet me.

With no real concern, I took my motorcycle up in the field and  searched all the places I thought I would likely find him.  However, my search turned up empty.  I still had no real worry as I figured he would probably be home by time I returned.  But, upon my return, my wife met me and was both surprised and concerned that I hadn't found him.  It was in the midst of this encounter that it dawned on her to ask if I met him during my walk - which, as previously mentioned - I had not.  Realizing that my nine year old son had set out on a journey to find his dad on a very hot day and that he had somehow missed me, and realizing that a good hour and half had passed since he had last been seen, I took out like a crazy man pushing my bike faster than it should ever be driven down a gravel road - especially without a helmet-  to see if I could find my son.  

In just a few minutes I reached the turn around point of my walk, and yet saw no sign of my son. It was at this point a deep sense of concern and dread took over my heart.  I knew that it would be very unlikely for my son to take his bike that far without turning around (for one thing, he knows my turn around point, for another, my son is not the type of kid who enjoys long bike rides).  However, just for good measure, I continued about another half mile down the road so I could see over the next hill.  But as I feared, there was no sign of him. 

At this point my belly was nearly sick.  Though I realize that true, random, child abductions are extremely rare, it was quickly starting to appear that that was the only likely explanation.  In my mind, based on the evidence, the only real option was that at some point between the time JJ set out to meet me and the point in which we should have met, something unthinkable must have happened.

Though I don't take calling 911 lightly, upon returning home with no sign of my son,I didn't hesitate to tell my wife to do so.  

As my wife was calling 911, I  took my bike back down the road to search the perimeter of our field.  During this trip, I passed by a couple of cars that were stopped in the road.  One of the cars contained my neighbors who knew my son was missing.  They were apparently telling those who were stopped in the other car about our missing son.  I drove past them and then turned around once I reached the point our field ended.  On my return trip, the people in the car whom my neighbors were talking to stopped me and asked ask if my son was wearing a striped shirt and if he was riding a black bike.  Knowing this description fit, my heart took a good leap.   They then told me that he was several miles down the road.  He was apparently heading in the direction of my walk, but he was much further then I imagined he could have possibly been.  They told me that he looked hot, tired, as well as lost, and with this description, I wasted no time but took out once again like a man with a death wish (at least this time I had my helmet on).

Though the trip had to have taken less than five minutes, it felt like forever until I reached the peak of a hill that allowed me to see the dark spot in the distance that I hoped to be my son.  Thanks be to the living God, hope did not disappoint, but instead turned into joy as my son's image came clearly into focus.

Now, I dearly love my son, and it would not be a dishonest to say that I enjoy each of our reunions.  Whether it be the reunion that occurs each morning after being separated by a night of sleep, or whether it be the reunion that occurs when I return home from a day's work.  While all reunions have a certain sweetness to them, nothing compares to the joy that I experienced with this reunion.  MY SON WHO WAS LOST WAS FOUND!!!

So, what happened?  Well, I was much closer to home than my wife realized when she sent my son to meet me with the water bottle.   My son must have simply been in the shed getting his bike as I returned from my walk and walked into the house.  He then took out to meet me not knowing I was already home.  As a child who is eager to please and obedient to his parents, he didn't want to turn around and return home without having delivered water to me.  At one point it finally began to occur to him that he had probably gone too far; however, this was after he passed a house at which a couple of dogs chased him.  Since he was afraid of returning and passing by the dogs again, he just kept on going.  He was a good four miles (Edit: We checked the distance, it was actually 5.2 miles) from home at the point I found him.  It was obvious that he was relieved to see me, but no where near as relieved as I was to see him.

Oh God, how good and wise you are.  Throughout this whole event, my heart had much more fear than any child of yours should ever have, but at the same time there was an underlying peace knowing that all thing would ultimately work out for good.  Thank you that we got to see this work out for good sooner rather than later.  Though I never want to go through that experience again, I also would not want to remove it from the history of our lives.  The joy of finding that which is lost and precious is much greater than the daily joy that comes from the same precious thing that is always present.  Truly you have brought the parables your son taught to life.  I now understand in a deeper way the truth that was shared in the parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son through the experience I had this day.  Lord, if I can ever play a part in giving you this joy by leading one who is lost to repentance, then I am certainly available.  I would count it among the greatest of privileges to play a part in bringing you they same joy that you in your kindness brought to me this day.

With sincere love, devotion and thanks, 

Your son,  Jason