Several times this week I have glanced down at my calendar to see our annual family trip to the Pumpkin Patch. This is one of my favorite fall family activities but as I was thinking through the logistics of our trip this year, I immediately thought of our trip last year and The Maze Incident. Yep, this incident needs it's own title. It was truly traumatic for Mommy and Caden...maybe Daddy too but you'd have to ask him.
The pumpkin patch that we went to last year (also the one we will go to this year) is amazing. It covers a large section of a farm and includes a playground, bounce houses, a hay ride, hay bale mazes (2 actually), lots of opportunities for photos with cartoon cut outs, food, and lots of pumpkins. Our kids loved it and we spent the majority of our day there.
The hay bale maze that we came upon was a sight. It was large and the hay bales covered the top as well, which meant I couldn't see Caden as he traveled through the maze. I reluctantly let him go. This was extremely hard for this recovering helicopter mom. The first hundred times he went through, he did great, mainly because he was following some older kids who had kindly let him join their group. He was having a great time.
The last time Caden entered maze, however, his friends had gone. He would be alone. Aaron told him to call out if he got scared or lost. Aaron pointed out where we would be standing in case Caden needed to find us. Caden confidently entered the maze, but I'm not sure he realized that he was really alone until he was deep into the maze. I don't know long he was in there or how long he felt scared but about half way through the maze a terrified tear-stained face peaked up from the hay and screamed, "Daddy save me!"
I have never seen Aaron move faster than he did in that moment. He was ready to topple over the hay bales to retrieve our son. We were able to talk our scared son to a spot where Aaron was able to lift him out of the hay safely. After the effects of the incident wore off, Caden spoke of how his daddy saved him. Aaron was truly his hero. He had come to rescue just like he had promised he would.
As I retell the story I smile but there are tears in my eyes. The tears come because I can remember Caden's terrified face. His eyes were large and huge tears were streaming down his face as he called out for his daddy. It's not something a mother forgets. The fear was real even if the danger wasn't.
I smile because he needed his daddy to be there, to be true to his word, and his daddy had done what he said he would. He stood ready to rescue him at a moments notice.
I hope someday to explain to Caden that God, like his daddy, will always be there, waiting to rescue us when we loose our way or feel scared because the path we are on is dark. His gentle words will direct us to safety and his arms will pull us from danger. He is the most faithful Father.
