Forgot the mustard

The cable news channels are regularly "reporting" on what is being called "miracle" rescue of two teenage boys in Missouri from a kidnapper. One boy, age 13, missing for 4 or 5 days. The other boy, age 15, missing for over FOUR YEARS. It's an astounding story that is grabbing my heart strings.

And I am counting my blessings. I could've been on a milk carton. When I was in 7th or 8th grade (like nearly 30 years ago?), I was in a shopping mall's parking ramp when I was grabbed around the neck by an adult male, told to give him my wallet or he'd hurt me. My wallet, was actually a fake leather coin purse I made at camp. But I gave it to him. He let me go, and I ran to a family friend's apartment about two blocks away. Oddly, as I was running there, I found my coin purse in my coat pocket... it must not have been what the mugger was expecting (and I'm like... mug a kid... what the hell does one expect... $100????)

It could've been so much worse. But it wasn't. It sure as hell was scary, but I recovered and hardly ever think about it. But watching the news about the boys in Missouri, I suddenly realized how close I came to being on a milk carton. Though I'm not sure they did the milk carton pictures of missing kids back then.

Recently, I read something... about changes in life. Major changes usually are sudden, unexpected, often sad. Death of a loved one. Disaster like a fire or flood. A child disappearing. Listening to the father of the boy missing for 4 years... his family's lives changed with one phone call that told him his son was found and alive.

I went to the store this morning. I forgot to get mustard. That's okay. If things had been different almost 30 years ago in a mall parking ramp... I wouldn't have been able to write this.