Stay Away from the Water                                                                                                        October 30, 2019

 

Kids think in specifics, not generalities. So we need to be as specific as possible. So when Mom said, “I don’t want to catch you doing that again.” my reply, “I didn’t want you to catch me this time.” was not catching her meaning. 

I experienced the same type of event my early years at Ouachita.

 

My memory there is clouded by my time as a student 12 years later (1957-61) and the memory of my son’s time 22 years after that (1983-87). I do have early memories of the tiger that stood on the campus as a symbol of our school spirit. For reasons you will soon find out, I remember a fountain near the center of campus. 

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Times were different then, parents not fear leaving a child on campus without adult supervision. We didn’t have tv news to cover every child abduction anywhere in the world. We had freedom to explore and play. I was not in kindergarten yet so I would be on my own while both parents were in classes. Usually other kids were around with the same freedom, trying not to get into too much trouble. 

 

Mom and Dad told me to stay away from the water. Now the only water I knew was the fountain in the center of the campus. A kid could fall in and drown. I didn’t really think that I would drown because it was not very deep and I knew I could stand up if I fell into it. But my dad, who never could swim very well, had a fear of drowning. So they warned me, “Stay away from the water.” So I obeyed, making the fountain off limits.

 

One day, another boy a little older than I was left by his parents to play with me. I was glad to have someone to pal around with and we roved the campus, finding things to keep us occupied for the hour. 

 

He came up with a new idea. “Let’s go down to the river.” 

 

The Caddo River ran behind the campus and was only a short walk through some undeveloped part of the campus then down a steep bank to the river. The path was obvious so we had no fear of becoming lost. The river had a rocky bottom most places and some places you could take a cool wade a short distance before it became deep or swift.

 

Now Mom and Dad had said, “Don’t go near the water.” I was sure that meant the fountain. After all, what other water was there on campus? So the two of us hiked to the river. 

 

It was fun throwing rocks into the water and watching the white splash. It was more fun throwing sticks and trying to hit them as they floated by. We tried to catch minnows in the shallow edge with no success. An occasional frog that would spring from the reeds and slash into the current. We would hear the mocking bird singing its various melodies. There was a fresh smell of a forest all around us. With such great adventurous fun with a good friend, “time flies like an arrow.” (Fruit flies like a banana.) 

 

We realized that it was getting dark and we knew we were to be home well before dark. So, still in a relaxed mode, we headed up the hill to campus. 

 

Meanwhile all four of our parents had completed their classes and were walking around campus calling for us. As they asked other students if they had seen us, a search party began to form. Every building was being searched. All the places for a good hide-and-seek were checked. Empty classrooms as well as filled ones were looked into. 

 

We were casually walking up the hill when  we saw his dad coming down the path. About the same time he spotted us and began to run toward us. He lifted his son off the ground and into his arms. At the same time, he grabbed my hand.

 

“Where have you been?” was not a question for general information. His tone definitely was conveying something else.

 

I could tell we probably had done something wrong and were in trouble. I was sure it was just because we were so late.

 

When I saw the near panic look on my parents’ faces, I knew we were in big trouble. 

 

I was expecting the worst spanking I had ever received. (Of course, being such a good child, I had received very few spankings.) I started thinking of promises I could make. “I’ll never be late again. I’ll always be here before dark.”

 

Both of them were running toward us. With my friend’s dad’s death grip on my hand, I didn’t have a chance of escape. I was not afraid of the river, but seeing them rush toward me, I knew what real fear was. 

 

Then their expression changed. My mother got there first and almost fell to her knees. She grabbed me and pulled me to her. She began to cry and I couldn’t understand why. We weren’t THAT late. 

I knew my dad’s reaction would be different so I was looking over her shoulder at him. When Mom finished the long tight hug, my dad picked me up. 

 

“Here it comes!” I thought. But instead, he just hugged me, also. There were tears in his eyes. I was puzzled. This was not what I expected. 

 

They asked, “Where have you been?” 

 

“Down by the river.” was my innocent reply.

 

It dawned on me: water = river. Now I was sure I would be punished for disobeying.

 

That seems to make the tears flow faster as panicey thoughts visualized the fatal events that might have occurred. 

 

“Didn’t you know not to go there?”

 

“You said, ‘Don’t go near the water,’ and I stayed away from the fountain.” I said, defending myself.

 

My logical reasoning may have prevailed or maybe love conquers all. I never got the paddling I was expecting. 

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After that I still had freedom to roam the campus but I had learned “water“ means all types of water. More importantly, I also learned a little about love, mercy and grace. 

 

2 Timothy 2:1 “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”