I just did what I would have wanted anyone else to do...

Hey there,

I wanted to share the details of our crazy night last night (Tuesday, the 22nd). Brevin was still at the cabin with The Bostroms (aka-Family #2), so Jill and I had another night to ourselves. We were going to get together with some friends, but due to a variety of circumstances and the fact that we are not Brevinless all that often, we wanted to preserve the night for ourselves.

After a late afternoon nap, we decided at about 6:30 to go to the Y to hang out by the pool and read. Right when we pulled in, Jill got a text from a friend who said she wanted to talk, and it seemed like there was a purpose behind it. We invited her to join us poolside and she shared her news. At about 7:45, we all got inspired to have some ice cream, so we headed down the road to the DQ by Lake Josephine.

After getting our ever-so-tasty treats, we headed across the road to the park/beach area. The first picnic table we came to was dirty, so I suggested we go sit on the ledge down by the beach area. On our way over, I joked, "I am all ready for the beach." (I had my suit on, but did not end up swimming at all at the Y. Little did I know, that God would be sending me into the water) We sat and chatted some more, and there were a number of kids in the water. One in particular stood out to me because he was smaller than Brevin and appeared to be roaming free. We noticed that his Dad was on shore with a pretty little one of only a couple months old. I chalked it up as a brave little guy and we kept talking...

About ten minutes later, our conversation was overshadowed by the woman sitting a few feet from us yelling, "Your son! Your son!" As we looked out into the water we could only see the little boy's arms and legs, and he appeared to be going under. I don't know that I have ever reacted as quickly as I did at that moment. I was up off the ledge and bolted into the water, kicking my sandals off as I ran. As if on auto-pilot (because I certainly wasn't consciously thinking at this point), my mind went into prayer, asking and hoping that I would make it in time. As I reached the boy, I could see that his eyes were still open and moving, but he had opened his mouth. With his back arched, his head and face had been totally submerged for at least 20 seconds or so. His eyes looked towards me with fear from beneath the water, and I got more of a glimpse than I would ever care to have again of a child in complete panic mode, fighting solely through instinct hopelessly to try to hold on to life. As I lifted the boy out of the water and up to my chest, I noticed that he was still conscious and able to hold himself up... The next three seconds were like an eternity... The boy was conscious, but still not breathing... I gave a couple of firm swats on his back and he finally was able to cough and get in a big gasp of air. By this time, the dad had made his way to us, and our friend had gone over to be with his infant child. Jill was calling from shore to find out if all was okay. The dad thanked me and took his son back to shore.

I made my way back to shore, gathered my sandals, and took a seat on the ledge. My heart was pounding, my mind was racing, and my emotions were flowing like I have never experienced before. I am not sure that right then and there on the ledge, that I was totally aware of what had just happened. After a few minutes, we went over to the dad and boy to see if they needed any help. The dad expressed that they were okay and we went back to our spot. A few more minutes passed and then they came over to us, and the little boy said "Thank you." We found out he was almost three and we shared a few high fives. Then in my "Push over, over protective" way, I told him to be safe. Seeing his smile after only a few minutes from when I saw the terror and helplessness on his face in the water, was beyond priceless.

Through this experience I learned and was reminded of a lot. First, things can happen very quickly, and it doesn't take long for things to go terribly wrong. Second, you just never know what God has in store for you at any given moment. I woke up thinking yesterday was just another day, but clearly that wasn't the case. I thank God for using me the way he did last night. I feel honored and blessed that he gave this experience to me. Lastly, I thought to my own father, and how he has worked on the front lines of the medical field as a paramedic for 30 years. This experience has pushed me to my mental and emotional limits, and I gained a deeper appreciation for him and all of his colleagues that act as first responders in public service. (Especially lifeguards!).

I know it was a long post, but hopefully this will serve as a positive and friendly reminder to all of us to keep our eyes and ears open for people in need of help, and to trust in God to react without hesitation.

Take care and God bless,

Heath