I heard my wife scream…
“Honey Come quick!”
Because of the incredible urgency I could sense in her voice, I ran to the living room and looked out the sliding glass doors into the back yard.
I say “What?”
She says.
“Look at Camden up in that tree.”
I couldn’t believe it.
I’d never seen anyone this high in a tree before.
Notice the truck on the ground and the ladder in the back of the truck.
It still doesn’t come anywhere near reaching him.
Apparently he’d climbed up to look at a bird’s nest.
As you read this lines now, you could be thinking “this is a cute story”.
But I was scared for my son.
He was so high that a fall would have been disastrous.
And, he couldn’t seem to find his way back down.
My first thought was to pull the truck underneath the tree and put the ladder in the back to see if I could reach him.
Not even close.
My next idea was to slowly guide him back down by taking him through the steps, but after a few attempts, I could see that was leading to danger.
That’s when I decided, to climb up and get him myself.
There was a split second when I realized I’d be putting myself in serious danger by climbing up there.
A slight hesitation, a small moment of fear as I pondered the potential consequences of putting myself in that tree.
But in a moment, my fatherly faith took over and my decision to save my son wiped away all doubts, fears and hesitations.
I started up the tree.
With some careful climbing, I reached him.
One limb at a time, I’d grab him and lower him down to the next limb.
He’d sit there while I’d lower myself down a bit.
Then I’d grab him and move him down a bit more…
Finally, we arrived safely at the bottom.
I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of safety, relief and comfort that swept over my body when I planted my feet on solid ground.
The Moral Of The Story
I can’t help but remember that split second when the fear came into my heart and mind and tried to keep me from climbing up and rescuing my son.
Sometimes, we know we need to make important decisions despite hesitations that try to keep us from doing the things we know we should.
It’s in moments like these that knowing WHY we’re doing what we’re doing can instantly dissolve any fear we might have…
…and replace it with the steady faith that’s always required to make powerful decisions and do the things that need to be done.
I don’t know if you can remember a time in your life, when you knew you needed to make a decision to step into something better…
… but you had some hesitation.
That’s how I felt today.
I gathered my strength, remembered that my family needed me, and did what needed to be done.
There was a happy ending waiting for me on the other side.
It’s good thing, to make faith filled choices. 🙂
So glad to hear all came out well…as a kid we were always in the trees..always loved climb up…but not down..hmmm.
So glad to hear all came out well…as a kid we were always in the trees..always loved climb up…but not down..hmmm.
Thanks Virginia… ha ha.. The simple things kids find joy in… Appreciate you!
Glad to hear you were able to bring him back down to safety, Paul!
Me too! 🙂
Oh…look at his face! He’s saying, “Dad, please don’t ever let me do that…ever…again!”
Little stinker was up in another tree again today.
This might end up being one of those stories that grow with the retelling. I just showed my daughter who’s response was “don’t you remember me climbing higher than that at Grandma’s?” I don’t but I didn’t want to spoil her memory. 🙂 I’m glad everyone is OK.
Funny how those stories just grow in our minds huh? Thanks Marian. Appreciate you stopping by.
I can still see a mixture of fear, relief, and reassurance in your son’s face. Making a split second decision is based on your faith and consuming desire to bring your son to safety. You also accessed the situation from your gut (hara). Paul you are a truly amazing human being. Thank you for sharing your story. Yukiko
Hey Yukiko! Thanks for the kind words and I think you’re an amazing human being too! I believe we all have the inner resources we need to make the decisions to fuel us forward into better futures. Thanks for the comment!
My brother all is WELL that ends WELL. Let’s give thanks to God that u had the courage and took the iniative (leadership) and acted as a wise loving father overcoming his own fears to rescue his beautiful son. Love u Paul and God’s continued blessing on u and your family!!
Yes sir! Always grateful. Love you too Neville. So grateful to have you as a friend.
What an amazing story!! I climbed super high like that when I was around that age, too. My parents didn’t catch me. I never thought about it then, but now that I’m thinking about it again, I was pretty lucky to make it down in one piece!! Glad Camden is safe and sound and that Mom and Dad have their hearts back in their chests again!
Thanks Kevin! Why am i not surprised you were a tree climber.. Hopefully there’s a correlation between that and your success in business and that this is an indication of Camden’s future business adventures. 🙂
Was Camden ever scared? Glad all is well. Many blessings
No.. the little kid seems to have absolutely ZERO fear. Still not sure how I feel about that. 🙂
Great story Paul and with a happy ending and good lesson to be learned or reminded of by all. Just a hindsight thought, if for some reason you could not have reached your son climbing up yourself, you can always contact 911 or your local Fire Department and they will come with lots of ladders, nets, ropes, pullies, etc to save the day without you risking yourself and having a double tragedy. Just a thought. I know from experience myself. Best, Dave–StakeYourClaim
Thanks Dave.. and appreciate the tip.. that thought did cross my mind before I headed up the tree. 🙂
What a great story Paul. Glad you got your son down safely. 🙂
Thanks brotha Holder!
My nephew, Camden, was brave today too… jumped in the deep end of the pool with out his life jacket… We step out to do what we can when called up to the plate. Thanks for sharing your fatherly example!
Wow.. water stuff is really scare with kids.. glad everything’s ok there. Thanks Alecia.
Camden, I didn’t know you were such a fearless explorer! You will always be brave and wise. Paul, I’m glad you have practice making tough decisions. What a sense of relief you must have felt. We can’t take anything for granted!
🙂 That’s right… can’t take anything for granted. Appreciate you Mahara.