Lost Jack

Jack is really into tractors right now. Mainly becuase in Cars (the pixar movie) Lightning McQueen and Mater go tractor tipping. It is one of his favorite scenes.

For thanksgiving we spent the holiday at my grandparents old farm house in the giant metropolis of Winters. In the pasture beside the house there is a lot of old farm equipment including one old tractor about 75-100 yards from the house.

We had been at the farm for about 2 hours, when someone, I can't remember which one of us starting looking around for Jack. He was no where to be found in the house. At this point my heart sank, because this place is in the middle of nowhere. (For thouse of you who wandered out with me while at ACU maybe you remember). Anyway I and the rest of us start running around the house yelling for Jack. I then see that the gate to the fence is open and start running out into the pasture screaming "Jack" at the top of my lungs...hoping for a response from somewhere.

Then through the trees I see the familiar stripes of the shirt he was wearing sitting high atop an old rusty tractor that he had somehow walked to and climbed up on without any shoes on. Of course there wasn't a scratch on him, and the whole episode may have lasted only a few minutes, but it was a harrowing few minutes. The sight of that striped shirt through the trees was a wonderful uplifting feeling.

I probably lean a little on the overprotective side anyway (or maybe a lot - you might disagree with my self assessment),but I couldn't believe that 5 adults had been able to let a 3 year old of our sight and escape the house and felt horrible that I had. I also wonder, just when did Jack even see that tractor - it is not that visable from the house or the road leading up to it. Did he just decide to wander and then came upon it or did he see it all along.

I don't know what drove him to it, but I will give him credit. After scaring his parents to death that we had lost him, he at least asked us to go out and see the tractor every time after that. It also helped that Jodi went around making sure the doors were all locked every thirty minutes or so, that kind of put an end to any extraciricular outdoor activities.

All in all it was a good holiday with wonderful weather, a peaceful setting and a lot of my family around. I missed the Bain half and look forward to being together at Christmas. There is so much in life to be thankful for!