In Need of A Little Therapy.....

Tonight we had an "incident" - in which I am still in need of a little therapy......so, please oblige. Karah and Bradley had been riding their bikes in the driveway after dinner and Tom and I were cleaning up the dishes and chatting about our days. I went out to see the kids and they were NOWHERE to be found. I have learned from past experience to not freak out too soon....so I stayed calm as I went through the cul-de-sac searching for them. I went back in and went through the house - heart pounding faster and faster.....calling....and then screaming their names - with no answer. We went outside again to search for them - and my neighbor Sherri joined the search. At this point we had searched EVERYWHERE and were running out of options. Tom then left in his truck to look for them.

All I could think of was last night. I was out driving late last night and heard on the radio about a new text message Amber Alert system. I remember vividly, having the thought of "what would I do if my child went missing - or worse - what would I do if my children went missing?" I was freaking out and ran to the basement....AGAIN - screaming for them, likely in a state of panic at this point. Karah and Bradley came out of the exercise room (where they had been HIDING!) and ran straight to their rooms. They knew that this wasn't good.

Sherri knocked at the door and I told her I had found them and that they had been hiding from us - and told her I was going to kill them! Not literally of course :) It was all I could do to keep from breaking down right there. The emotional release of all of those fears and "what if's" racing through my head was intense.

I went to check on the kids and Karah was under her bed and Bradley was hiding under his blankets. They were horrified by the sound of my voice, I'm sure - when I was screaming for them through my tears. I'm sure they were hiding, thinking....."Yup - she is now officially Cuckoo."

We all had a talk and hugs and kisses - and I got some extra hugs from Tom. I still am on the brink of tears right now - and this happened hours ago. It was horrible and I NEVER want to experience those feelings again. I don't know what I would do without those little people. They are my world.