So today being in the right place at the right time didnt land my dream job for me or have me hitting the jackpot on a slot machine and certainly didnt have me holding the winning lottery ticket. Sure all those things would be awesome...dont get me wrong...but today that wasnt in the cards for me and that was perfectly okay by me. Today being in a river canoeing with my niece and her family was being in the right place at the right time for two small children and their dad. My niece, Michelle and I were just getting the hang of steering our canoe down the Hocking River in beautiful Hocking Woods in southern Ohio when we passed a man and his two small children playing in the water. They were having a good time jumping and splashing in the calf-high water. I was a little concerned becuz neither of the children had life jackets on. After we passed the family the current picked up and suddenly Michelle and I were paddling to avoid turning completely around but to no avail. Facing backwards in the river gave me a clear view of the family in the water. The rest of their party was ashore watching the trio play and just hanging out. Everything seemed fine except that I was uncomfortable and a little uneasy about the kids having no life jackets on so I continued to watch them. I noticed the little boy started to drift away from his sister and dad. He attempted to dive under the water to reach his dad but when he surfaced he found himself further downstream. The father at this time realized his son was in trouble and began going after him. At about the same time his daughter began to have trouble when the water deepened and the current took her under and take her downstream as well. Meanwhile the dad was trying to get a hold of both of them and all three began bobbing up and down in the water. Things were quickly deteriorating. It was all happening way too fast and I watched in horror as the siblings were desperately trying to stay above the water and their father frantically trying to save them. Suddenly I found myself yelling that they needed help. Michelle (Michelle Brochin LaRue ) and I began paddling our canoe upstream towards them. As if things werent bad enuf the threesome was heading straight towards a collection of giant boulders protruding out of the water along the shore line. We paddled harder and faster to reach them. When we got close enuf Michelle jumped out of the canoe and swam towards them. I continued paddling the canoe towards them. Another man from their party was now racing thru the water towards them. We all reached the rocks at the same time. The children were panic stricken. They kept going under. The father kept going under. I yelled to them to calm down and that we would get them. Michelle grabbed the little girl first and got her to me at the front of the canoe and we put her on the floor at my feet. Michelle and the men then got the boy and put him in the middle of the canoe. Both children were dazed, coughing to clear their lungs and obviously frightened but appeared to be okay. The father clung to the boulder catching his breath. With the children safely in our canoe, Michelle got back in while the other man stayed with the father who was still clinging to the boulder and looked to be in shock. We began paddling back to the rest of their family waiting on the shore. On our trip back I spoke to the little girl. I told her I was glad that she was okay but that she needed to always have her life jacket on when shes in a river or in a boat. I made her promise me she would and we gave each other high fives. With the children reunited with their party Michelle and I turned the canoe around and headed back downstream. We passed the father and the other man who were still at the boulder. The friend gave us a thumbs up and we waved back. We continued on our trip a little shaken up but so thankful that we were at the right place at the right time to help that family. No, I didnt hit the jackpot or get that perfect job and I certainly didnt win the lottery but saving those two kids was way better then any of those. Im sure of it!
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 04:33:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015