Lucky to be Alive

As I laid my children in bed tonight, I held on to them for an extra minute in a moment of prayer, thanking God for giving me another evening to embrace them. You see, I almost lost them today.

It was supposed to be a fun afternoon at the beach. Laura and I wanted to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather so we packed up the kids and headed to Avila for a little fun in the sun. The clouds and the cold wind should have been our first warning. We hit the sand anyway, not wanting to disappoint the kids. After a short stint of boogie boarding (nine year old Wyatt and his fourteen year old buddy Tim) and seashell searching (Weston (4) and Ben), the gang asked to explore the tide pools. So the group of us headed that way, Laura carrying 9 month old Walker in the front pack, Brayden on my hip, the little boys at our sides. Wyatt and Tim ran on ahead.

Now at Avila, just before you get to the tide pools, it becomes necessary to cross a little inlet of water. It was low tide, so the shallowest part appeared to be right at the mouth of the inlet, where the ocean lets in. This is where we decided to cross. Mistake number one. Since the tide was going out we should have taken extra care to move up from that spot so we wouldn't get pulled out should one of us fall. At this point, Wyatt and Tim were already at the tide pools and waiting for us to join them. Laura led the way, holding Weston's hand, and my boys and I followed. The water was right around our ankles and just as we were assuring Benjamin and Weston that the water wasn't too deep, Laura stepped off an unseen ledge and was instantly up to her thighs, Weston right along with her. Mistake number two: don't walk in water where you can't see the bottom. My first reaction was to go in after them (mistake number three), because Weston couldn't touch the bottom at all and Walker was strapped to Laura's front. Since the incoming waves had knocked her off her feet, all three were floundering. So I let go of Ben's hand and step down right where Laura had and found myself instantly up to my chest in water. Since I was holding Brayden on my hip, he was even lower in the water. Amid his screams, the waves started to pull us out, but we managed to grab onto a large rock and push Weston halfway up it. Laura clung to the rock to support Weston and keep Walker's head out of the water and I started to look for a way back to my oldest son, who was standing knee deep in the water, scared and alone. As he cried out to me, I yelled back to him. "Stay there! Don't come out to us! Stay there!" I begged him to turn around and go back to the beach where it was safe, but he sobbed that he couldn't. I yelled for help, but there was nobody to hear us. The waves kept coming in, pushing us every which way and trying to drag us out to sea. I told Laura that we had to get her and Weston up on the rock so I could go back for Benjamin, but she pointed out that I couldn't cross in the same spot, especially while holding Brayden. My poor little baby was getting mouthfuls of sea water every time the waves came in and there were times that he and I went completely under. I desperately looked back at the beach to find someone who could help us. Finally a woman started running toward us and I screamed at Ben to turn around and go to her. She grabbed him up and took him to safety, allowing me to focus on the rest of my family. At this point, Tim and Wyatt had figured out that we were in trouble and were now standing on top of the large rock that Weston and Laura were clinging to. The two of them pulled Weston to the top and Laura followed. Next, I was able to hand Brayden up to them as well. Hands and arms unencumbered now, I got myself out of the water and started looking for the easiest path back to the beach. Then, in a panicked voice, Laura said, "Al, Walker's turning blue!" I looked over at him, and while I didn't see a blue tinge, he was awfully calm for just being in the tumultuous ocean. I told Laura that he was alert and that we just needed to get him dry. We made our way back to the stream of water, but this time farther up, away from the sea, and crossed back at a much shallower, clearer spot. Benjamin and the woman who saved him (I later found out her name was Carol) were waiting for us on the other side.We quickly got back to our towels, everyone shivering, especially the babies and little boys and instantly began working on getting dry clothes on our children. Carol wrapped Ben in several of her towels and another lady even put her scarf on his head and leg warmers on his bare legs. Walker warmed up quickly and within a few minutes Brayden was crawling happily on the sand, like nothing had ever happened.

But something had happened, and Laura and I will never forget it. As she and I looked at each other, we didn't have to speak. Our eyes said it all. Our families were incredibly lucky to be alive. God was with us while we were in that cold, unforgiving ocean. God held Benjamin back while I foolishly went in after my sister and nephews. If he had fallen in with us, I don't know how I would have held on to both of my boys as well as the rock. God was with us when Laura chose to put Walker in the front pack since he'd fallen asleep in the car, instead of just carrying him on her hip. That gave her two free arms to help Weston. God sent us Carol, who normally walks in the opposite direction when she goes for a stroll on the beach, but on a whim decided to visit the tide pools. If she hadn't grabbed Benjamin, I most likely would have made another poor decision and tried to save him myself, putting myself and his baby brother in even more danger. God was with us.

So we held back tears, hugged our rescuers, gathered up our belongings and headed for home, counting our sweet little boy blessings every step of the way.