Missing !!!!

If you have ever had one of your children go missing than you know it is a heart wrenching experience. It happened to me today. Josiah and I were waiting for his bus to come and get him and it seemed to be very late. As we waited, I started to wonder if it had actually come early and we just missed it. Finally when the bus should have come at 11:10am and it wasn't there at 11:20, I decided that I had to just take him to school. The kinderagarteners line up to go with their teachers to the class room at 11:30am and I still had to get Alyssa dressed before we left the house. I quickly got her dressed and went to bring the dogs inside. Josiah followed me outside and I told him to get in the van, and then I went back inside to put the dogs away and grab Alyssa. When I got back outside, I could not find him anywhere. I spent the next few minutes running around the outside of the house calling his name. I then came inside and called his name some more while running from room to room. Then I thought what if the bus came and he got on it, he would be at school. As I got in the van and pulled away, my heart was pounding again and again. The bus had not yet gotten to the school, so I got Alyssa and we ran to the office. I asked them if one of the busses had been reported late. They said no so I proceeded to tell them what had happened at home. They said that they would radio the bus and then they let me go to his class and see if he had gotten there yet. Before you knew it the teachers and other staff were all there and upset. Someone said "Oh, here comes our principal!" I went over to him and he said that he had gotten confirmation that Josiah was on the bus. Whew! Of course, I cried even more at the release of emotion that had been welling up in side of me. I stuck around to see him get off the bus and when he saw me he looked at me like 'what are you doing here?' I hugged him tight and then let him go to class. Apparently, there was a sub-driver today and he didn't know the route very well. He was not only late but he missed severa stops along the way. Josiah is one of the first stops on the route so they didn't get to the school until 11:50am. It was the most intense 20 -30 minutes of my life.

Then again, this had happened once before...



When I was pregnant with Alyssa I was on bedrest due to bleeding inside the womb. Karston was in Kindergarten at the time. His bus stop was across a short feild from our apartments and was in front of a church. I could see him get off the bus and walk across the field from my bedroom window. I had been letting him get off the bus on his own for weeks at this point. On this one day, the church happened to be closed, and the other children that usually got off of the bus with him were not there. He got off the bus and discovered he was alone. From my bedroom window, I saw him get off the bus and then drop all of his bags onto the ground. I looked away to see what Josiah was doing and when I looked back Karston was gone along with his bags and the bus had left. I jumped out of bed and quickly got some shoes on and pulled Josiah out the door. I had three flights of stairs to go down before I could get outside and see if he was anywhere in site. I busted through the doors and ran to the field calling out his name. When I reached the church he was nowhere to be found. My mind raced with all of the bad things that could be happening. I called Heath and he called the police and drove as fast as he could to get home and help me. Just about the time that I saw Heath driving into the parking lot, I got a call on my cell phone. It was the school. They told me that the bus driver called and said that he had Karston and was bringing him back to the church. Apparently, when Karston discovered he was alone, the bus driver suggested that he got back on the bus and they would call home. Karston was scared to death because the bus driver finished his route and then went and picked up the kids at the High School before bringing him back. By the time, the bus driver arrived back to the church, the police had also shown up. It was a relief that our son was alright, but I thought for sure I had lost my baby girl. Turns out she was fine and was born several months later, perfectly healthy.



Thank goodness I only have three kids to go through kindergarten, and to tell you the truth Alyssa may never ride the bus. This is the worst feeling in the entire world. I hope that I never have to go through it again. I am so glad to have all of my children safe at home with me this afteroon.