Josiah's Journey

Please hurry home.  Josiah is being crazy.

That was the text message I received last night, on my way home from Bible Study.

It was from Chandler.  It was her SOS call.

As soon as I saw her text message, I called Rick.  Apparently, Josiah had suddenly, for no known reason, begun screaming.

Actually, it was more like shrieking.  He was clearly out of control.  I could hear it through the phone lines.  It was difficult to listen to and I was still a few miles away.

I couldn't imagine how challenging it was for those within ear shot to endure.

Rick said Josiah got out of the tub and just started screaming.  He started punching his head and ripping at his hair.

Rick wasn't sure what had caused it.

Instantly, I knew what to do.  No big squeezy hugs this time.

In between shrieks, I told Rick to take Josiah out to the driveway.  I assured him I would be there momentarily.

I pulled in and quickly buckled Josiah in his seat in the van.

I had no idea where we were going but I did know this.  My family needed a break from the drama.  You can only handle so much screaming before it makes you a not so patient person.

I also know Josiah loves to ride in the van.  So, off we went.

My initial thought was to drive to the beach.  I am drawn to the beach for some strange reason.
You already know about my Bora Bora obsession.

Josiah loves the beach and the water.  I truly think he would be a much calmer kid if we lived in a house right on the beach.  But, I digress.

It was after 9 pm when I strapped Josiah in the van.  I didn't think the beach was such a great destination at that time of night.

So, I simply drove, thinking I would figure it out when we got there.

Here's the interesting thing.  Though Josiah was screaming wildly when he was first in the van, it stopped almost immediately.

In fact, Rick texted me about 5 minutes later to ask how it was going.

My reply, GREAT.

And it was.  Josiah hadn't screamed even once, after we got on the road.

My trip to nowhere ended up being a short trip to Whataburger.

They have the most amazing apple pies there. Seriously, stop and get yourself one.  You'll see what I mean.

I was so impressed when I tried one on a fluke a couple of weeks ago that I then decided to do some research.

By that, I mean I went to McDonald's to get one of their apple pies.  Who am I kidding?  I got 2.  They're small.

And, I was astounded.  Truly, I was.  The crust is so much more flaky and buttery and bubbly crisp on the Whataburger apple pies.

They are so good that in the last few days I've been at the drive thru window twice, just for pies.

Wow, I am seriously digressing here.

The point is this.  Josiah was calm the entire drive.  He was calm when he snuggled under his Skweezers in his bed.  He was calm and peaceful for a time.

And then, he banged open my bedroom door, bounded up on my bed, curled up next to me and began to shriek.  He pulled my hair hard and screamed, over and over and over.

Instantly, once again, I knew what to do.

No big squeezy hugs.  No ride in the van.  This time I had a much better plan.  I grabbed the comforter,  pulled it up over my head and rolled over. 

My fabulous, amazing plan?

I simply ignored him.