Tender Mercies

Where would summer fun be without water?  Like most kids, mine loved running through sprinklers, playing with squirt guns, tossing water balloons, and yes, splashing around in a swimming pool.  Though our six were young, four were decent swimmers  the two youngest, Brad, age two and Brittany, three and a half, were not.  

 

Brent, my husband and I felt that with adequate safety measures in place, the purchase of an above ground swimming pool would bring a lot of joy to them, and in turn, to us.  The pool was purchased, it went up and so did a fence around it complete with locking gate.

   

         One hot, sunny summer day, the kids and I were all in our backyard pool when Bradley wanted to get out.  Brittany came too since I wasn't going to leave her without my supervision.  Off went the floatation devises, and into the house we went.  I remember being in the family room dressing Brad, when, into my mind I heard one word and one word only.  It wasn’t uttered with a shout, but with deep concern.  I simply heard,  “Brittany.”

        I leapt to my feet knowing immediately where I was to go.  Brittany had returned to the pool, climbed up the ladder, slipped into the water without the other children noticing, and was now completely submerged.

       Leaning over the pool wall, I literally dragged her to the surface by her hair.  Her   eyes were wide open and her lips were just turning blue.

       “You couldn’t see my eyes,” she gasped.  She was right, I couldn’t.

       A loving Heavenly Father could and  graciously summoned a negligent mother     to His little lamb’s rescue. I don’t know God’s purpose for intervening on that day and saving my daughter from drowning, but He does.

       His ways are perfect and His plan is flawless.  All I can say is I am a grateful recipient of His tender mercies.

Pam Sturgill                                                                                                                          Ashland, KY