Motherhood: A Team Sport

Today, I lost my baby. Abigail, who's three, was playing with some friends outside. I was a few feet away, chatting with other mothers, glancing over every now and again, as we all were. I did a head count and Abigail was no where to be found.

She often gets distracted by little bits on the ground, maybe she found a nice flower she was playing with or an interesting rock. I looked around the corner, then the other way. I asked an 'older' kiddo, not more than 8 years old.

"Abigail went down those stairs," he said, pointing to a stairway that led to a pool (empty and fenced in) and also to a fairly busy street.

Thus ensues the freak out. I ran back to my group of friends shouting that I could not find my child, already crying. Two of whom I know very well, others who I may have just met, ran over and immediately started looking and calling for her. I remember spitting out that she had a white t-shirt on. Older children were checking around, too.

Jessica grabbed my hand and immediately prayed that the Lord would keep her safe and that we would find her as we started down the stairs.
Steph ran inside to find if she had wandered into rehearsal (her older sister was in ballet).

So many things ran through my head, too many to name here. You can imagine. This all happened within about a minute, maybe a tad longer.

"Here she is!" I'm not even sure who announced it. I looked up and saw Steph holding her. I immediately shut my eyes and thanked God. I knew other mothers have not been so lucky.

I grabbed my sweet babe and hugged her a little too tight; she had no idea anything was wrong. She had been in the theatre, watching the girls dance. No big deal.

I reflected as we left for dinner: when I said I couldn't find my daughter, not one mother stayed seated. My two friends were up before the words left my mouth; I believe one saw the panic on my face. As I mentioned, mothers I did not know jumped to her rescue. They didn't think twice. I'm so grateful, not only for my daughter's safety, but for my team mates in this sport called 'Motherhood.'

This is certainly not the only time I'm thankful I'm not alone in this journey. I have so many mama friends who I rely on - some have 'been there' when a situation arises; some offer advice on what they would do; some offer a hug. They laugh with me, they cry with me. They come to me for advice and I to them. We have play dates, we have mama dates. We call and text each other. We Facebook, we email, we Pin! We pray.

"This might work."
"Have you tried this."
"That seems hard, I'm sorry."
"Let's do it!"
"I"ll pray for you!"
"I'm here if you need."

I could not be more grateful for my team - we don't have a leader. Not one is better than the other. We all bring different experiences and opinions to the table. We make each other better mothers. I'm convinced, Motherhood is a team sport; I'm glad I don't have to do it alone!