Lockdown.
This is a word that is new to our vocabulary. Not that it’s a new word, mind you, just one we hear far too often these days, and one that strikes fear in a parent’s heart.
I heard it today, concerning the campus my 21 year old son attends.
My first reaction was to pray. I did. But secondly, I knew my son was probably not on campus when I received the news. He should have been at work. But I really didn’t know the time frame in which this lockdown occurred. This mother’s heart needed to hear her son’s voice.
I called his cell phone which went to voicemail. That figured if he was at work, however, what if he was still on campus, hurt. All the thoughts that run through your head in rapid succession.
I did the next best thing. I called the store where he works.
I have never called his place of employment. I was simply going to explain the situation and ask if he was at work…I wasn’t going to ask to speak with him.
The phone rang and rang, after giving me the many options to choose from. I opted to speak to a person in customer service.
The sweetest sound greeted me after 5 or 20 rings…my son’s voice.
All was well.
But then I started thinking about the other kids I knew who also attend classes at this campus. I made a few calls and texts. With the exception of one kid we know, all were safe and sound.
As I was talking to one mother, we were lamenting the fact that this could happen in our town, the quiet little campus that seems small and community oriented, and the fact that our kids had to go back, if not tomorrow, next week, and for a few more years.
And then it hit me. I have no control over my son’s life. I get no say in how long he lives on this earth. I hope and pray it is for a very long time.
It also hit me that this kind of thing, being locked down because someone is walking around on campus with a gun, can happen anywhere, anytime, to any of us. It has already happened, and sadly so, and will continue to do so because we live in a crazy, mixed-up world.
What I can do, in my powerlessness in all situations beyond my own choices, is to trust God. Which is what I will endeavor to do on a continual basis.
The lockdown lasted a couple of hours. The man was apprehended. He was a student using the BB gun as a prop for drama.
I am thankful everyone is safe.
Have you ever experienced anything like this?
It is so hard Tracie, but we can’t.
I have never experienced something like that, so I can only imagine how terrifying it would be. It is so hard as a parent to let go of our kids, and accept that we can’t control every moment of their lives.
Oh gosh Laurie- how horrifying!! It is such a horrible thing to hear… and I can’t imagine those parents that have heard that phrase and the worst of all evils had happened.
You are so right about us not having control… I swear the only thing that keeps me from completely crumbling at the thought of something happening to my children is God. Literally surrendering to Him every waking nightmare and anxious thought that arises…
It’s the only way I can find peace about it all. There is simply no other way…
It was scary but it went quickly. I can’t even imagine how people cope who don’t trust a Higher Power, and those who have gone through so much worse. This ending was so much better than many.