today was the final day of our spring season. the group was gathered at padilla bay where the eel grass grows and the mud can suck off your boots faster than a crab can scurry. the sun peeked out now and then, but mostly the rain showered us with various size of drops. not that the kids minded- most seemed to ditch the rain gear after the potluck anyway to run on the grass and into the sand with slick skin.
yes, it was a sweet gathering complete with thoughtful gifts for the board members and facilitators. it was another lovely opportunity to chat with friendly folks and my boys were blissed out on being in nature with their best buds.
until seren fell.
one minute he is running on the beach, a member of a swirling pack. the next his soft face is hitting a hard rock. right on his eye. i heard his wail and went running toward him.
seren is very expressive about his pain. and about his joy. so it's a good balance. but it can be hard to know exactly how badly he is injured because any injury elicits a BIG reaction. sure, it's the pain of it. it is also the injustice of it- how one minute is so much fun and then suddenly a slight shift takes all that away.
immediately, there were mamas swarming. one mama went to get my younger son from the beach. several mamas rushed to their cars for their first aid kits. a mama and papa soothed seren and peered at his injuries. even the kiddos stood by to offer love- and to see how much blood there was.
if you kid has to get hurt- and as i explained to seren everyone does get hurt in life and most of the time we don't know when it will happen- it's much more pleasant to have an injury happen in a supportive community. if i had been alone with my boys when that accident happened i...well, i don't even want to think about that.
we made it home quickly and seren settled into a comfy chair with his softest stuffed animals. the body starts to repair itself immediately but seren was still shaky, still worried, still hurting.
on top of that was the disappointment that such a great day ended so abruptly with serious pain. we nursed his wounds, made soup, snuggled deeper. and one of the things that helped him to feel much better was the folks who called to check in on seren as the day went on. and that made me feel better too.
if you're kid has to get hurt- it's nice to know he's got friends that will check up on him, send him love, wish him well.
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