“For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

–Galatians 7

What had started as a fine summer’s day was now one full of peril. The boat is now less than a couple hundred feet from them. I remember feeling very panicked about it all. I couldn’t believe they would risk life and limb just for those things. All of us are yelling for them to get out of the water, even the crewmen of the ship – its horn blaring. The only way out now was to swim out of the channel.

The boat comes and now blocks our view so that we could no longer see them. It takes several minutes for it to pass through under the bridge. It’s hard to describe that feeling of helplessness. To sit there having to accept the fact that there is nothing you can do – it’s very difficult. These days I know that feeling well; I am revisited by it constantly. What I wouldn’t have done to get those guys out of harm’s way; what I wouldn’t do to have my brother with me today.

The boat finally passes beyond the bridge and these guys are nowhere to be seen. “Did they go under,” I thought. “Did they get hit by the boat?” Another several minutes pass by. Then we heard someone up on the tracks. We see Louie coming across them, and Peter also on the other side a bit farther down. They had swum out of the channel to the other side where they were able to climb up via a ladder.

“You guys are a bunch of a*******!” we say.

Peter has a shoe in his hand and my brother a shirt. We left after that, Johnny with one shoe and none of his toys. We were able to laugh off the whole thing. The next day, it’s time for some good ol’ Wiff‘ again. And, wouldn’t you know, here comes Johnny again. This kid doesn’t learn.