Sara’s Ponderings

Creak. Sara’s rocking chair hit the flooring of her favorite spot on her front porch. The warm breeze blew her hair.  In a glimmer of sunlight, Sara noticed a red admiral butterfly gliding to her nearby flower garden. A smile of mixed emotions came across her lips.  The gorgeous splash of the winged insect brought her back to years ago when Emily was just barely four years old. 

“Emily, get your shoes on.”

“Where are we going, daddy?” she called from the hallway.

“Come and see.”

Emily rushed to put on shoes and grinned when she saw her mother put hot fresh bread into the picnic basket. 

After a five minute drive, they arrived at a gorgeous meadow where yellow indigo  flowers bloomed. Sara spread out a red and white checkered blanket. 

Emily clapped her hands in eagerness. “Oh, that smells wonderful, mommy .”

Brad sliced the bread and Sara gave everyone ham and cheese for their sandwiches. There were also strawberries and pretzel sticks to enjoy. 

“This is so yummy,” Emily exclaimed after her first bite.

“I am glad you like it,” Sara replied with a smile. 

Soon, lunch was over. 

“Emily, we are going to take our food back to the car cooler. You can stay here and wait as long as you remain nearby, “ Brad instructed.

“Yes, daddy.”

Her parents began walking back to the car when a red butterfly caught little Emily’s attention. It came to rest on nearby rock. She stepped closer and it fluttered to another rock further back in the meadow. Again, Emily tried to approach the butterfly, but her steps sent it soaring toward the woody area where the meadow and woods connected.

“I wonder where it’s going in such a hurry?” Emily thought to herself. 

Quickly forgetting her father’s words, she began to follow the red blurt of wings. So focused on the butterfly’s path, Emily didn’t realize how deep into the woods she truly was. The red blur finally fluttered away so quickly that Emily couldn’t keep up. With the butterfly gone, Emily finally realized her surroundings. She had no clue how to get back to the meadow. Running back only lasted a few minutes, for she couldn’t remember if her chase involved turning left or right. 

“Mommy! Daddy!” Emily yelled.

No response. She called again, but still there was silence. Emily started to whimper, “What if they never find me?” She sat on a nearby rock with her knees curled up to chest, as the whimpers turned into sobs. 

Back at the meadow, Sarah was frantic. “Where could she have gone? What if someone took her Brad? We need to call the police!”

“Sara, she may be nearby. Let’s not rush to any horrible conclusions.” 

“Emily!” Sara called out.

No response.

“Emily!” Brad’s gruff voice yelled. 

Still silence. 

“Sara, you call 911 and I will call Gary from work. Maybe he can help us look for her.”

Within fifteen minutes, three policemen and Gary showed up.

“Here is a picture of our little girl,” Sara managed through tears. “As you can see, Emily has Down syndrome and is only four years old.”

“We will find her ma’am,” one police officer reassured her. 

Gary went straight back toward the woods , while the officers went to the right and left of the area. Emily’s parents stayed where they were in case she showed up on her own. 

Gary stepped over twigs and branches. So far no sight of Emily, but he continued in same direction. After fifteen minutes more, Gary saw a girl fitting Emily’s description on a boulder sized rock. She had become tired and used the rock as a pillow.  

Careful not to startle her, Gary didn’t shout , but called Brad immediately, “I found her, he said with a smile. “She’s about thirty minutes walk straight back from your location in these woods.” With that he hung up and shifted his weight just slightly. When he did, a branch broke underneath his foot, and Emily awoke. 

“Don’t be afraid, Emily . I work with your father Brad. Come with me, and I’ll take you to him.” 

Emily arose from her nap and stretched, but did not move. She didn’t recognize the man in the tan overcoat. 

“Emily, please trust me. I will get you back to your parents. I promise.”

Still silence. 

Gary didn’t dare grab or force her to move, lest Emily ran deeper into the woods in fear.  “Guess I will just wait with her until her parents arrive,” he thought to himself.

Roughly thirty minutes later, multiple footsteps approached as the  officers and Emily’s parents arrived.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Emily ran to their embrace.

Sara with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Thank you for finding our little girl.”

Gary nodded with a smile , and tipped his hat politely. 

Sara and Brad walked hand in hand with their little girl, thankful she had not been lost forever.

The End.

I started writing this months ago, thinking that I would have finished it within the week. I had drawn the picture of a butterfly even, which I had mentioned on social media.

I didn’t get the full conclusion of this “Sara’s Ponderings” until last night / early this morning.

Throughout this story, I couldn’t help but think of friends and family who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

Maybe the Lord has nudged them about their sin, but they do not know what to do about it. What if one you care about hasn’t heard about Jesus or Repentance? 

Maybe the Lord sent a stranger across their path with the Gospel , but still they hesitate. What if your friend or family member is waiting to hear the Truth from you? You are the one they are close to. You have built the friendship or relationship. 

Do you care about them enough to speak up and share the Gospel with them before they are lost forever eternally? 

Romans 1:16-17

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.  ¹⁷ For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”

*Scripture is from the World English Bible.