Lost and Found
This past weekend, one of my neighbors gave my third son Jake a turtle which he named Jerry. Jake left Jerry outside in too small of a box, and by the time we got back from a walk, his turtle was gone. We were all in a panic and looked all over for Jerry. Our cat ended up finding him underneath some weeds a couple feet away from where the box was. Whew…close call.
When Jake plays outside, he takes Jerry out of his box and lets him hang out in the grass. Last night was no exception. But last night was very chaotic, more chaotic than usual. Jeff brought one of the other teacher’s kids home with him, so we had seven kids running around the yard with Jerry smack dab in the middle of it all. By the time the other children were picked up, there was piano to do, teeth to brush, and we’ve been ending our nightly routine by playing a rousing game of foosball. Not until this morning before Jeff and the boys were leaving for school did we realize that Jerry was not in his box. Left outside all night, Jerry could have been anywhere. . .Jeff and I both realized we might be spending the summer looking for Jerry.
Jeff and my other two boys left early for school, but I let Jake stay home and look for his turtle. At one point he screamed out, “It’s just a stupid turtle anyway!” But for Jake, who loves all animals, he was heartbroken as only a 9 year old can be over a lost pet. In fact, in Jake’s back pack I had just found a picture Jake had drawn of Jerry…I was glad Jake had documented Jerry’s short life with us, because we’d surely seen the last of him.
Jake didn’t want to be late for school, so I went outside to tell Jake that we needed to leave soon. As I was talking to Jake, something caught my attention because I glanced over to my left. There in front of our shed was Jerry craning his neck at me…just waiting for us to find him…well, that’s what I’d like to think.
So, once again, Jerry had been found. I’m sure Jerry will escape again or be forgotten or lost, and there will be more tears and perhaps another search and rescue, but it’s worth it. It’s worth seeing my son hang out with his turtle and take care of something that makes him so happy. There will be disappointing, heartbreaking days for Jake…I’m just glad today was not one of them.
