Sunday January 10th 2010 a miracle

Today marks a week, it was seven days ago when it happened.

Cancun, Mexico six of us Cory, myself, John, his wife Nikole, Spencer, and his wife Ashley playing in the ocean jumping waves body surfing having the time of our lives, I remember thinking what fun not a care in the world then in one second everything changed.

Sheer panic on all our faces as we start to drift backwards instead of forward we began to swim and swim harder and harder getting nowhere, the sand and the hotel is getting farther and farther away. Six people who once were clumped up together suddenly start drifting further and further apart from each other, it's now getting dark and winds are getting worse I realize we are in a rip tide and I'm filled with panic. A scream from Spencer "help" as we can see people standing on the beach watching but so far and with crashing waves no one can hear. Then Cory yells "help help" for we are starting to realize we are not making it in. I think to myself if we all just take care of ourselves we will make it it might be awhile but we are all healthy strong in good shape we can do this we will not go down, so I start to swim diagonally hoping eventually I would hit a sand bar or something I swim for about 4 minutes thinking Cory is right behind me, I turn around 30 yards or so away my husband is drowning completely drowning I'm watching Cory slip out of my life. My head says keep going Jen get help for him, but my heart screams go to him. As I start swimming out to Cory I get so scared I'm going further out to sea. I reach Cory I reach down fill his arm and pull him up with every pull of his arm I'm sinking this is not going to work I cant hold him and save me. I look out squinting to the beach I see a lifeguard rip off his jacket and is swimming towards us but it just looks so far he wont reach Cory in time. I hold my breath go under water holding Cory above just so he can get some air I do this twice still no lifeguard yet. Cory says "Jen I don't want to die like this, I love my kids, my leg is cramping, I love you I don't want to die"

A line from my patriarchal blessing comes into my head a line that for 13 years I have been afraid of: Jennifer you will have strong and capable arms to protect you and Cory from the powers of evil, this was it this was this evil power it was Sunday and an evil powerful force was taking my husband. I said out loud right then and there "NO CORY I GOT YOU" I got behind him and put my arms under his and with everything I had I held on. The lifeguard reached us he had a bowie wrapped arond his waist he said I can take one which one? I gave him Cory my husband crying like I've never seen him cry before as he was being saved and I was left behind. That lifeguard looked at me as he started to swim away with Cory and said "swim I need you to swim" I had nothing else left inside of me every bit of energy I had I used on Cory, how was I going to swim? I uttered "My Heavenly Father please give me the strength to swim, I'm so tired but I know you are with me now so PLEASE pull me in. To all my friends and family that I love I tell you someone pulled me in I did not swim on my own, so for however strong this force was he was much stronger, and his love for me was so great I was given a guardian angel that day. I swam until about neck deep when Gary my dear father in law had swam out to me and by the time I reach him he said I just went limp, I knew he was there and he would bring me the rest of the way.

The beach was filled with people that day people crying most of who don't know any of us. As we watched two more lifeguards bring Spencer and Ashley in and after the oxygen was given we all sat there on that beach looking out at the water shivering thanking God for sparing our lives. Cory's mom frantic to hold her son and touch him once again.

We all learned a few lessons that day, Sunday is not for swimming especially in the ocean, miracles do happen, but most of all live your life so that the blessings that are promised you like the ones in your Patriarchal Blessing can be yours. I will never deny what happened to us that day nor will I forget it. My prayer is that we can all learn from this as we are here to teach each other. I'm grateful to be alive and I love all of you