Bonny Annie was invited by a wonderful family from our church to spend the week with them on a Florida pan-handle beach.  The family has four small children, with one more on the way, and they needed an extra set of arms and eyes to help out with their active family.  We said yes because we completely trust this family and thought it would be a good experience for Annaleigh (who is the one on the right in the above picture, by the way).

A couple of things happen to you when your nearly thirteen year-old, first-born child leaves for the beach for a whole week without you.  First, you stop breathing.  I was a little unsure if I could hold my breath for an entire week, but I achieved it, and I’m only a little blue from the experience.  This condition worsens when you realize that her cell phone doesn’t have good signal in the house they were staying, so you can only leave frantic, crazed messages on her voice mail and wait for four hours for her to call you back from the front yard where she only has one…maybe two bars…of signal.  You have conversations like this…

Me: Hi!!! How are you?  Are you putting on sunscreen?  Are you having fun?  You’re not going too far out in the water,  right?  Are you homesick?  Are you sleeping well?  Are you eating well?  Huh?!  Huh?!  Huh?!”

Annaleigh: Mom…*garble*garble*garble*….beach,yeah….*garble*garble*garble*…the kids and I…*garble*garble*garble*….an alligator….*garble*garble*garble*…sunscreen….

Me:  What?!  Honey, I can’t hear you!  What about the kids?  Did you say ALLIGATOR?!  Put on the sunscreen, okay?  You’re doing that, aren’t you?  Annaleigh?  Annaleigh?!

She would be gone.  I’d call her back and leave 32 messages.  I wouldn’t hear from her until the next day when we start this routine all over again.

You worry a lot, even if by nature, you’re not usually a worrier.  I was having a conversation with a friend about mid-week, and she asked about Annaleigh and wanted to know where in Florida she was staying. 

“Seaside,” I answered.

“Oh, that’s where we stayed last year!  It’s wonderful!  Tell her to be careful though.  Last year two adults drowned when we were there.”

Thanks, friend.  I’d tell her if Verizon hadn’t lied and said they have good coverage everywhere.  That guy with the glasses obviously hasn’t been to Seaside and asked his famous question:  “Can you hear me now?”

When I saw the picture above, I reminded Annaleigh that I had cautioned her to not go out that far in the ocean without one of the adults. 

“Oh, Mr. Josh was there with me,” she said.

“Where?  I don’t see him.”

“He must have gotten knocked down by a wave, I guess,” was her casual reply.

I guess there are some things better left unknown.  Maybe there was a reason she didn’t have good cell service that week.  His ways are higher…that’s for sure…and apparently I needed a lesson in Who is in control.  Amen.