Dear Angels,

I used to pray for you constantly while Loumy was in Haiti. I prayed that you would watch over him and talk to him and help him in every way until he could get home to me. You answered my prayers and then some. I recently discovered that you must have liked him so much that you didn't feel like leaving him once he got home. Well, I've actually had indications of that before but the event in my parent's backyard a couple of weeks ago truly confirmed it.

Thank you for paying attention to Loumy while he rode his first 4-wheeler by himself. I thought he was doing just fine, zipping around the yard like all the other little kids had been doing for the past couple hours. I was just up on the deck talking and paying very little attention at all. Chris and Mike were watching him, too, so I thought all was fine.

Luckily you knew better. Suddenly Nancy cried, "Oh my gosh!!! Loumy just drove off the edge!!!" You see, my parents live on the edge of a canyon and there are steep drop-offs all along the north edge of their property.

I don't remember what I said but I think I let out some expletives (saved for only those times you think your child has been killed) as I ran down the stairs and out to the edge of the lawn. I also saw Mike and Chris running towards where Loumy must have driven over--the steepest valley-like area of the gully. My heart was racing and a thousand thoughts went through my mind. I knew my baby was in bad shape. It was impossible for him not to be. The drop is extremely steep and there are dead trees and branches every where. I seriously thought he might be dead. At the very least he had been impaled, had broken bones, and was bleeding to death.

As I got to the edge I saw the 4-wheeler down about 40 feet but I couldn't see Loumy. I began to panic. I heard branches crunching and breaking as Chris called to me, "I've got him, he's all right." I didn't really think he was okay, but assumed at least he was alive if Chris had him. As I got to the spot where Chris was, he handed Loumy up to me and I held him tightly to me and started back towards the house. I held Loumy out for a minute and could see nothing but some leaves and grass in his hair and dirt. I held him close again and began sobbing, which suddenly stopped Loumy's crying. I took him in the house and began to examine him more closely. I got a wet washcloth and began wiping away the dirt. A small scratch on his forehead. A tiny scratch on his back. Mud caked into his toenails. A few scratches on his shins. None of the scratches were even dark or bleeding.

It was then that I realized what had happened. As Loumy flew over the edge, you grabbed him off the ATV and gently set him onto a pile of branches. I can think of no other explanation, dear sweet angels. Thank you thank you thank you!

Love,

A Very Grateful (and still shaken) Mama

This is my parent's beautiful backyard. They live on the edge of a canyon. To the left it drops down into a huge gully. We called it the "hollow" when I was growing up. It is great for adventures. Not so great for 4-year-olds to drive off on ATVs.
You can sort of see the track the kids were taking down the right side of the lawn. They'd circle around a sprinkler placed on that brown spot in the middle and come back and into the front yard. Instead of circling, Loumy went on the track to the right, then only did a 90 degree turn instead of a 180. He headed straight off this point:
Unless somebody were to stand at the bottom, I don't think you could really tell how steep this is from a photo. But this is where he went. It took 4 guys, a rope, and a garden hose to get finally get the ATV back up to the top.