The Longest 45 Minutes Of My Life~

It was the beginning of last week....I was sitting in the recliner with my 3 year old on my lap watching a show. Olivia was playing on the floor. The boys would be home off the bus about 3:10 or so. My three boys ride the bus home. There are about 16 kid at their stop. The bus drops all 16 kids off then drives behind my house to drop off a few more.I saw the bus go behind the house,so I knew the kids would be barreling through the door any minute!

I usually go out and watch all the kids walk down the road and to their houses. This day, I just did a head count as they came in. Sometimes the kids straggle in...talking to there friends,catching bugs etc.. I was still sitting in the recliner with Jackie on my lap.

Jacob (11)came in and sat in front of the computer,Nick (9) went to get a snack in the kitchen. Aaron a friend of Jacob that comes over most days after school(he's a latchkey kid)was by the front door,so I told him to call Noah in. Noah is my first grader and is only 6.

Aaron looked out the door then closed it. So I said it again. "Tell Noah to quit dilly dallying and come in!".
Aaron replied, "No one is out there"! So I jumped up and ran for the front door! What do you mean no one is out there? Jacob said, "Noah got into trouble on the bus, that him(Noah) and Adam (his best friend and our neighbor) got into a tiff and the bus driver had to talk to them both.

I ran outside...there was NO Body out there...no other kids walking home or anything.
Just quiet...everything was still. It was cold and dreary out! I called out his name several times turning my head back and forth to look up and down the street. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a car I did not recognize driving out of the coldasak.

I started to PANIC. Where was my NOAH? I was beginning to feel numb and light headed!
I ran back into the house,telling the boys I could not find Noah! To PLEASE stop what they were doing and help me. I grabbed up the baby and went back out side to call for Noah again!
Nick said,I don't think he got off the bus. Jacob said,yes he did get off I saw him down at the neighbors mail box. Noah only needed to walk 2 houses, where did he go?

I called Adams Dad,then ALL the neighbors to see if Noah went to their house.
The answer was NO,NO, and NO!!!!
I then called the bus barn to see if maybe he was still riding on the bus? I got the answering machine. So I tried the school to see if they could try calling the bus barn for me,to see if Noah was some how still riding on the bus?

While the school secretary was calling the bus barn,my neighbor (Adam's Dad) told me to just call 911, its better to get a search on NOW! I could not believe this was happening! Where was he? God please help me find my Noah, I pleaded!

Did that car drive away with him? My mind just raced from one thought to the next!!!
My hand trembled as I dialed 911. I started to cry when they asked " What is your emergency?". I can't find my boy....I can't find Noah. He never made it into the house from getting off the bus! One of the boys said he had a tiff with a friend...then I thought maybe he's hiding some where? Then I didn't know what to think? I tried to keep my focus and to push those negative thoughts out of my head!

Would I have to wait days, months, or even years to have my Noah back? Will I get the worst news of my life... that someone did the unthinkable to him? Will I be on the 5 o'clock news....will people be in there living rooms going she did it...I bet she knows where he is? Did that car drive away with him? Is someone hurting him?

It was only a matter of minutes and ALL my neighbors formed a search party. Two of the Dad's searched the woods near the house,and talked to the phone guys that were working on a pole down the road. The kids were searching all the bushes in the front yards. My kids looked in every room in our house in case he slipped in with out being seen. Then the two Dads started looking in ALL the cars one by one. Then one of the Dad's said lets check their back yard in the moter home! By now we had been searching for 45 minutes.
As the two Dad's headed into the back yard they spotted him! Noah was found! He was curled in a ball next to the boat...cold and crying! He would not talk..just sobbing came from his little body.

I thanked everyone for there help. Everyone was glad he was found and went home. I was relieved to have my Noah back! I was exhausted! My head hurt.
I hugged my boy for a long time then we went in the house. I told him how scared I was and how much I loved him. I called 911 back to tell them we had found Noah..he was safe. The sheriff did arrive moments later,and had to question Noah,ask him what happened. He would not speak. The sheriff finally left and I let Noah talk when he was ready!

The bus barn called me to tell me that Noah and Adam had been pushing to go first off the bus. Both were told to stay and go last. Noah has hidden before when him and Adam have gotten in to it,but only in our house. We do not spank our kids so I don't know why he was so afraid of getting in trouble. Maybe his brothers said OOOOOHHHH your going to be in tttrrroubbble! That was the reason he hid... he did not want to be in trouble. We both had a LONG talk about things!

We told him to never hide like that again and to come to us if someone is mean to him or he thinks he might be in trouble. We told him how much we LOVED him. He is an important part of this family.

I'm glad we have him back,I thank GOD that I get more time with him....I thank GOD for ALL of my neighbors that were there for me. How quickly they came to give of their time to search for my boy! I am truly grateful!

Peace in Christ,
Georgiann