Horror turned to gratitude

Tonight was the biggest scare of our whole life. Every parent's nightmare.

JJ got out of his ART seminar early today and we thought we would go to the fair down in Ballwin and check out the fireworks later that night. Despite the extremely hot/humid Missouri weather we were having a good time and let Dominic ride one of the motorcycle rides. We went and got a bite to eat, sat down and shared a sandwich. We get up to go and get something to drink and JJ and I turned away for ONLY 1 SECOND!!! and Dominic was GONE. No where to be found among so many crowds of people. I didn't quite go into panic mode yet thinking he would be just a few feet away as I circled around. JJ and I both began circling, and calling his name and he was still no where to be found. We both started running around like crazy asking everyone if they had seen a little blond boy about the age of three wearing a blue and orange shirt. No one had seen him.

JJ and I split up searching everywhere and meeting up every minute or so. I wanted so badly for JJ to come back with him in his arms, but he only came back with a more frightened look on his face. I really started panicking at this point and was starting to hyperventilate asking everyone I saw just sitting around the area, if they had seen him. Everything was racing through my mind, someone took him, maybe he's drowning in the lake nearby, what if he is long gone by now and I will never see my boy again. I started praying asking Heavenly Father to just please bring our little boy back to us, please, please, please.

JJ then told me that I needed to go to the police, while he kept looking. I was freaking out on the utter verge of tears and went to the police booth. I approached the police booth and said in a pretty loud alarming voice that I had lost my son, and NO ONE even paid attention to me! I started snapping my fingers and yelling a little louder that I HAD LOST MY SON!!! and finally they pointed to this other little boy about the age of five who had lost his parents and said, "Is that him?" I said, "NO!! That is not him, please go out and find him!!" All the police guys were just standing around me, not even seeming to budge, looking at me as though I was some psychopath! It seriously was like one of those nightmares where you are falling and you can't scream or do anything, because I felt completely helpless and out of control.

So then I started insulting them hoping that then they might do something. I said, "would you guys go out there and do your job! because if you don't then I need to leave and find him myself" The police officer gave me this look like I was the rudest lady on the planet and insulted him personally. Meanwhile the officer kept telling me that I had to stay there to keep giving them information about what my son looked like and was wearing, and assured me that the officers located around the area are now looking for him. I felt like I had told them his description for the hundredth time, and I wanted them to start looking too!

Finally I just said, "Look, would you guys just go out there and start looking?" Just as the guys left to find him, JJ came approaching the booth with Dominic in his arms. Panic soon turned to pure gratitude that me boy was safe and back with us again. 10 whole minutes, felt like an eternity.

JJ said he found Dominic a few yards away down this path where we had lost him just lying on the grass by himself. JJ grabbed him in his arms and told him to never leave mom and dad again. JJ said he was lying on the grass very melancholy, like he was scared but was not crying.

Together again, I grabbed him, squeezed him tight and we went up the hill to watch the fireworks. The whole time he sat in my lap squeezing my arms tight which were wrapped around him. I don't know if he felt the fear and gratitude from me and was reassuring me, or if he was scared of the loud fireworks.

Tonight I sit in such gratitude to my Heavenly Father for answering my plea and bringing my son safely back to us.