Waiting For A Rescue
Some years ago, my husband and I were away when our daughter called to tell us our new little kitten was missing. She was distraught since he was in her care. Assuring her he would eventually show up, we told her she should not fret, and just keep calling him. So waiting a while, she went out again and called him. This time, however she began hearing a faint “meow.”
Excited at finding the lost creature she started following the sound and located the little guy forty feet above her in a tree! She had no idea what on earth caused him to climb so high. He was clearly frightened and completely unsure how to make his way down, regardless of the coaxing my son, who was now home, and she tried. When that didn’t work, our son tried climbing the fairly skinny tree with only small, flimsy limbs, and nothing solid to stand on, which ended in failure.
Night fell and still the kitten wasn’t down. Tearfully, my daughter called me, again. During the night both son and daughter actually went out to try again, trying a laser light, shaking the treat bag and any thing else they could think of! No luck. Then rain started. Still the kitten remained in the tree. The next morning, he’s still there meowing pitifully, waiting for someone to please rescue him.
Rescue did finally come in the form of a boom truck by a man who cuts down trees for a living. We were completely relieved!
There are all kinds of reasons people need rescuing! In the very literal sense people need rescuing from floods, avalanches, hiking and getting lost or attacked by a wild animal, a fire, traffic accident, snowstorm or ice storm, medical emergency like heart attacks or scores of other medical problems, hurricanes, car accidents, tornados or some other calamity.
There are also emotional rescues where someone needs a friend to talk to, someone to share their faith, someone needing to love—or be loved, someone sitting by the telephone trying to make a life or death decision about suicide.
Sometimes a person needs rescuing from boredom. (I’ve seen the request on facebook asking for someone to make contact because they were really bored!) Or what of the person walking in the rain whose car has broke down, relieved when a car comes along, or the case of wanting rescued from an over achieving talker at a party.
Still there are those who are rescued from a life of crime, or poverty, through someone who believed in them and gave them a job. Other times a person is rescued from bad social graces/manners situation through a class, or those who are rescued by the kind hearts who consider adoption. Sometimes rescue comes in the form of a book that takes you to another place or, a phone call or visit just when you needed encouragement.
Sometimes rescue is needed for the parent of a child with a disability, although it takes a different angle to see it. Self care is very often overlooked or denied because of time or even help. The energy demanded of a Special Needs parent is rarely recognized by outside peers, yet the need ‘of rescue’ is real.
Our little creature didn’t climb the tree with the knowledge he’d not be able to get down, but things do happen we don’t expect or plan for. But there are other circumstances which beg for ‘rescue’ or at least help, just to make it through another day!
Perhaps you could be someone’s ‘rescuer’ over this next week.