I must start by saying I am totally afraid of the girls falling in a pool when I am not watching. So usually I am extra alert when we are around pools and make sure to lock every lock and shut every door if we are in a house with a pool in the backyard. This weekend, the girls and I are staying at Andrew's parents house while they are out of town. And they have a pool in the backyard. I am sweating just typing about this now.
Yesterday, the girls were playing in the den (which has a door that leads outside to the backyard, and the pool). Lucy (their dog) needed to go outside, so I let her out and locked the door. But I didn't deadbolt it with the key. I just turned the lock on the door handle. I went to clean out the litter box in the laundry room but could still hear Hannah's voice and could quickly check and see the girls playing from where I was standing. I quickly swept up the litter on the floor and noticed that I could still hear Hannah's voice and she was saying something about water...and it sounded kinda far away. And I dropped the broom and ran. Faster than I have run in a long time.
I found the back door wide open. And Hannah standing over Caitlyn saying, "Don't touch the water, Cate!" And Caitlyn was on the side of the pool, squatting, and touching the water with her fingertips. I scooped her up and just couldn't stop saying, "Thank you, Lord, thank you Lord."
Later that afternoon, when the kids were napping, I was just standing by the back door looking outside. The storm had come and gone, and now the sky was a beautiful blue and the sun was out. And through tears, all I could say was "thank you, Lord for not taking Caitlyn at this time. You could have, but thank you." A beautiful black butterfly with shiny turquoise wings landed so close to me and stayed there for about 10 minutes slowly flapping his wings. And God reminded me (again) that He is sovereign. That even when I think I have everything under control, He is in control. And He's always watching over me. His timing and will are perfect.
So thank you, Lord. Thank you for another day with Cate, another gentle reminder that you are always at work and always watching over us. Thank you for everything.
Jennifer
"I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." Psalm 7:17
Ugh, now I'm crying because I know how scary that is!!! I still have a hard time thinking about last summer when Evelyne fell in a pond when I wasn't paying attention and a stranger had to jump in and save her, a stranger who was miraculously sitting two feet away. Those situations terrify me, but I'm always reminded of what a friend told me after that situation, "It truly is the Lord who protects them and watches out for them." I'm so glad Caitlyn is ok, and I hope you're ok. What a blessing that God gave you such gentle reassurances of His presence.
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