Missing Right Where You're Supposed to Be

Have you ever been missing but not known you were missing until you were found, right where you were supposed to be?

Yesterday, at 5:03 PM I was finishing up my 10 minutes on the elliptical machine at home, my husband called. He told me daycare had called him to let him know that the school bus hadn't made the stop.

I took a deep breath and called the bus barn. The dispatcher said that the bus had been turned in, but she'd call the bus driver and call me back. My mind started racing, and panicked, I started trying to think of where my little boy might be. My best-case scenario was that he got off the bus at an earlier stop to play with his friend, but I don't know the friend's last name or his phone number.

While I waited for the return call, I frantically called his teacher to see if she could give me the buddy's contact information. I had to leave a message.

I was at a total loss. I fought the urge to jump in my car and start driving the bus route. I thought if, perhaps, he'd missed the bus, he might have decided to play awhile and then walk home. (He's bussed to and from daycare, but we only live a few blocks from his school.) I didn't want to not be there if he showed up.

So I stood in my front yard, looking around the neighborhood, and called my husband back to let him know what I'd discovered, which was a whole lot of nothing. At that point, my calm resolve began to melt. Choking back tears, we tried to think of what the possibilities were.

We were interrupted by call-waiting, and I rapidly clicked over to the bus dispatcher. She said that the driver had dropped Robert off at 4:28 at daycare. No one was there to meet him, so she stayed and watched him walk across the parking lot and enter the building.

At the words, "she dropped him at daycare..." I had my keys in hand, and I was out the door.

Two scenarios played out in my mind: he got off the bus, walked in the building, went to his class, and was there but overlooked OR before he could make it through the security door at daycare, someone took him.

I called my husband back to tell him what I'd discovered, and then the daycare called...he's here, he let himself in, and he was sitting slumped on the couch playing his DS...we didn't see him.

The flood broke, and the racking sobs took over. I quickly called my husband back to tell him, and he said he'd meet me at the daycare.

Long story short, my son was never in any danger. He was safe the whole time, and in fact, demonstrated great self-awareness and confidence. He just did what he was supposed to do.

We had a long conversation with the very apologetic director, and we made a plan for improving transportation.

It took a few hours, but my heart finally started beating it's regular rhythm again, and last night I thanked God for keeping my child safe.