When my dad was little he moved around a ton. His parents were divorced and his dad was int he military. When he lived with his dad in the summers and around holidays, it was usually near military bases.
When he was around eight or nine, he lived in San Diego. He had a few friends in the neighborhood, Army Brats like he was, and they lived by a military dump of some sort.
This place was like heaven to my dad and his friends. They were eager to explore and some of the dumped poles jutted from the trash piles in odd angled that would be so great for hanging.
My grandpa wasn't stupid. He knew my dad and he knew that kids would be kids and they would probably go right for the stuff at the dump. Before he went to work my grandpa pulled my dad aside and specifically told him to not play in the dump. There were a lot of things that could hurt him.
My dad played like he was listening, but like most kids, he ran there as soon as his dad left for work.
The dump was like an old boat graveyard, with long poles and hooks all around that made for great playing. They would climb aboard and pretend like they were captains or seamen.
At one point, my dad got brave and started climbing along one of the poles. He stood on the edge and probably let out a Tarzan yell or something and he felt his feet slip. He was pretty high in the air on the pole and grasped desperately in the air for something to catch him.
There were two hooks along the pole, probably for hoisting ropes or sails. That day, they did an extra job and caught my dad by his wrist.
So there he was hanging by his wrists to this pole in a boat dump. His little brother was with him and immediately ran for help.
My dad described it so terrifying, hanging there by his wrists, which sounds pretty painful and not quite sure what was going to happen.
At that very moment, his dad rushed from work and while driving home he saw my dad hanging there from the freeway.
My grandpa rescued him and he had to get stitches on both of his wrists. My dad used to show me his wrists with their matching scars as an illustration to always listen to your parents. They know what's going on and they know how to keep you safe.
I usually share this story in church because of the multiple meanings from this story. It's really so relatable.
As a parent now, I get it even more. Dave and I are like crazy people with our girls. Emily is starting to learn to sit on her own, but she will never sit alone for many months because we always put ourselves ready to catch her. Cami is wild and loves to run and play, "Not too fast, Cami, I don't want you to fall."
There's this great song that plays on the radio these days called, "Cecilia and the Satellite". The artist wrote the song for his daughter to explain the bridge from life before her to life after her birth. There's this line that always gets me as a child about my parents and as a parent of children, "I'd keep you safe. I'd keep you dry. Don't be afraicd, Cecilia, I'm the satellite."
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