HIDDEN DANGERS, SECRET SNARES

“I found a nail!” Addi proudly held up one of those square roofing nails as she treaded water in the deep end of the pool.

She had been the first of the girls to venture into the 65° water, and she had outlasted the other three. The family was together again for two birthdays, an 88 and an 8.

Carter stood on the side of the pool, swimmies still on her arms, shivering, her lips kind of blue. She was quickly wrapped in a towel and cuddled into her great grandmother’s lap.

“Oh my gosh! Those are so dangerous!” Wendy said. “Did the roofers do that?”

We were sitting under the newly finished cover over the patio.

“Yeah, we have found a few, but the roofers tried really hard to keep them out of the pool, ” Belinda answered. “They put a tarp across the pool to catch them. It was attached to boards and floated on the top of the water.”

Jenny followed,”Yeah, it got Dad!” She and Belinda began to laugh.

“It wasn’t funny,” Craig said.

Belinda. “It kinda was!”

We all wanted the story, and Craig began.

“I had come home and was just looking at the progress. I was looking up as I walked past the pool, and, somehow, I stepped off the edge and fell right into the tarp. I new I was in the shallow end, so it wasn’t a big deal, except it was cold. But the tarp just closed in around me, wrapping me tight, I couldn’t see anything, and I went under the water.”

Belinda said,”The guys didn’t even know Craig was there until they heard the splash.”

Craig continued,”I didn’t panic…I didn’t scream like a girl…but I was wrapped up and it was dark. I just tried to find the light. I just looked for the light. ” He kinda smiled.

“I got my face free, above the water, and I saw the guys at the end of the pool grab the tarp and pull me. I went back under the water. When I came back up I yelled, ‘STOP! DON’T PULL ME! I CAN STAND UP!’ So they stopped, I stood up, and the said, ‘Are you okay?’ They were treating me like an old man. ‘Well, now I guess you’ve got a story to tell about the boss! You’re welcome!’ And they said they wouldn’t tell anyone. ”

We were all laughing at the story…life is all about the stories.

But, secretly, we were all really glad that he was telling us the story.

I think about how easily that could have been the last day Craig spent on this earth.

A day or two later, Jenny, Craig’s daughter, was eating a pork chop at home by herself, got it caught in her throat, and started to choke. She was pushing 911 on her phone when she cleared the obstruction, and only suffered a sore scratchy throat.

Another story shared on Facebook.

We were glad she was able to tell us the story.

But another near step into eternity.

Simple little everyday life actions suddenly take on a bit of sobering seriousness, when we stop to examine how close at any time we are to stepping through that veil.

So, we do not live in fear, or dread.

We connect ourselves to our Creator, as His sons and daughters, and live in the plans that He has laid out for us.

And in those daily mundane seemingly unimportant incidents in our life, as we walk and talk with Him, we find His pleasure, and experience that joy that comes from Him.

And, because of that connection with Him,

and the stories…

Life is not dull!