Angels

It was a beautiful sunny perfect day at the Lake.  Henry had just skied with Josh.  I was so proud of him, and he was so excited.  I had taken Henry and Jane to the bathrooms, and as we were coming down the hill back to the beach,we saw Josh who had taken out some tubers pull the boat along the side of a long dock and start to pack up.  Henry wanted to get dressed, so I took off the life jacket he had been wearing all day and got him dressed.  I started cleaning up towels, chairs, and beach toys.  I saw Henry playing in the sand next to the shore with Josh's cousin's little boy.  I grabbed the stuff from the beach and headed down the dock to put it all in the boat.  When I got there, I folded a few towels and started to talk to Josh about getting the truck backed down to the water.  I kept looking over at the ramp and saying that I wasn't sure I wanted to because there were several trucks, and it was busy.  He said he could pull the boat on and get the truck.  I finally decided to have him give me the keys.  That is when I got the most panicked terrifying feeling and turned to the beach and noticed that Henry was gone.  I immediately started yelling to Josh's cousin and her husband on the beach that I couldn't see Henry and where is Henry.  Everyone started looking frantically.  I sent my 12 year old up to the bathrooms and we started yelling his name and running.  I had this overwhelming sick feeling as I looked at the deep lake water all around me.  I ran towards the shore and looked anywhere I could.  Josh turned and ran down the dock further out into the water and then turned the corner and headed down the other side.  I heard him yell Amy, and as I turned around saw him jump into the water.  I felt sick as I ran to where he was.  I knew Henry was in the water.  I knew no one had seen him go in.  I thought it was all over.  I though he was gone.  Josh held him up and yelled for me to take him.  He was blue, unconscious, and not breathing.  Josh jumped out and started giving him compressions.  I ran to the boat to find a phone and started yelling for someone to call 911.  I couldn't find his phone and didn't realize none of the phones would work because there isn't a signal at the Lake.  I ran back to Henry, and a woman came from the other side yelling, "I am a nurse".  She took Henry and gave him a rescue breath and continued to give him compressions.  He opened his eyes.  They were rolled back, but he looked right at me.  He looked terrified.  She picked him up, and he wrapped his arms around her neck.  I took him from her as another woman, who was also a nurse told me to lay him tummy down in case he threw up.  He started throwing up.  He threw up about 4 times a large amount of lake water.  He started crying.  Another woman put her arms around me, and I sobbed into her chest.  She kept saying, "its going to be ok mom".  Desi, Josh's cousin, and I took Henry to the hospital, and I talked to 911 on the way there about keeping Henry awake and warm when we finally got service back.  He whimpered and cried the whole way.  I saw a good friend from high school in the ER right when we walked in, and she took amazing care of us.  She or someone said to Henry, "It is going to be all right baby."  He looked up and said, "I am not a baby.  I am a big boy."  and that is when I finally knew that he was going to be ok.  He insisted on wearing his Sanuk sandals that day.  He hardly has worn them.  He has a favorite pair of blue ones that he has worn every day this summer, but he kept saying to me as we were getting ready to leave, "I want my black ones."  He even knew where they were and went right to the shoe basket in the laundry room and pulled them out.  They have been there for months.  Those shoes have thick foam for soles and that is what Josh saw before he jumped in the lake.  Two little black things.  He didn't think.  He just jumped.  Josh literally ran right to where Henry was, saw two black things in the water, and jumped in.  It was deep and murky, and I don't know how those shoes were seen.  I would have never gone farther out looking for him, since I would never imagine him going into the water and running right past us without either of us noticing him on the dock.  I do know this without reservation or doubt that there were angels among us living and dead.  To the angel with tattoos, a nose ring, and who put out her cigarette just before giving my precious boy a rescue breath, thank you.  To the angel who coached me on how to lay Henry and what to do, thank you.  To the angel who just simply put her arms around me, thank you.  To the angel who led Josh to the very spot Henry was in, thank you.  To all the angels in the ER, thank you.  and to God for sending me the panicked awful feeling and the most precious and wonderful 3 year old ever, thank you.  I am eternally grateful that Henry's mission here on earth is not yet complete.  To all those parents, who came home from tragedy empty handed, my heart and love is extended infinitely.  To all those parents whose children are sick or suffering, I am so sorry.  To all those who have suffered trauma or witnessed something traumatic, as I sit typing in the middle of the night because I can't get the image of Henry surfacing blue and lifeless from my mind and can't stop thinking of him going in the water and retracing my steps, I am so sorry for whatever hell you have to re live and see every time you close your eyes.  It is painful, and I am sure makes you physically ill as it does me.  To those who may not know, I know that God lives and that he loves us and has a plan for all of us.  Thank you God for this darling boy and for helping us save his life.