Right Place at the Right Time

(BBJ's "Happy Face")

(Please excuse the time stamp on this post. I know it is 10:30 on a Sunday morning and I ought to be in church. BBJ caught my nasty cough/cold last night and I didn't want to spread her snotty goodness to the 18 kids in her nursery class OR the 8 kids in my own Primary class. We're at home, working our way through a box of tissues and a jug of lemon/honey water, if you need us. Oh, and my SINCERE thanks to Lori and Kenny, if you read this. I called you one hour before church started, and you STILL agreed to take over for me today. I hope you enjoy your Snickerdoodles!)

Yesterday, we took it pretty easy. BBJ was at the head end of her cold and was very cranky and...squirrelly, for lack of a better word. (We picked up our new Honda Fit yesterday - more on that later - and BBJ was EVERYWHERE.) After her nap, we went to the mall for a promised ride on the Carousel. Since I'm usually the one to accompany BBJ on the carousel, and I'm getting bigger and more prone to the Dizzies, I talked Lo Gung into riding with her. While I rested against a pillar, waving to BBJ every time she went around, a beautiful little girl about BBJ's age ran past me. Since I didn't see any big people chasing her, I looked around to find her again. I didn't see her at first, so I assumed someone had caught up to her. I looked back around the other side of the post, and there she was, still alone. Watching around me to see if I got any reaction, I took her hand and picked her up when she tried to run away again. (I figured if she WAS with someone, that would surely get their attention!) Her vocabulary was a little more advanced than BBJ, but she still couldn't tell me much. Our conversation went something like this.

Me: Where's your mommy?

Her: Where's Mommy?

Me: Where's your daddy?

Her: Where's Daddy?

Me: Honey, where's Mommy and Daddy?

Her: Umm...you're not my mommy! Can I go on that? (pointing to the carousel)

Me: Sweetie, we have to find your Mommy and Daddy first!

(All this time, I'm looking around to see if anybody looks frantic.)

By this point, Lo Gung had noticed that I had just snatched someone else's baby. He was wondering, by the way, if I was plannong on adopting her if I couldn't find her parents. I'm sure BBJ would love to have such a pretty little playmate!

As I continued to look around, Lo Gung pointed behind me. I turned around to see a man twice my age, pushing a stroller full of gear, diaper bags, toys, and two little kids, both younger than the one in my arms. The smallest looked to be about 9 months old, the older one about 15 months. The older one looked exactly like the girl I held, but about half her size.

He exclaimed, "Oh, where did you find her?! I turned around for just a few seconds, and she was gone!" I explained that she was looking for a way onto the carousel. I turned her over to her grandfather and went to give my own baby a hug. When I left, I could see the grandfather at the entrance to the kiddie play area, looking more like one of the Biblical Cherubim than a grandfather on a sunny Saturday afternoon - he wasn't going to let one of his grandkids slip past him again!

I was so grateful that I was there, and watchful, with nothing better to do than watch my baby go around and around and watch for stray kids that wandered too far from Grandpa.

Happy Sunday, everyone.