You are only 4 ½ right now and you aren't going to remember this, so I'm going to write about it for you.  When you're old enough to recognize for yourself God's hand on you and your circumstances, I plead with you to write about it.  There will be dry spells in your relationship with God during which you’ll wonder if He’s still around.  It is very helpful to have a written record of what He’s done in your life to review in those times when you don't feel Him nearby.  There’s nothing like recalling when the God of the entire universe took personal action for your benefit to regain the confidence that He hasn’t gone anywhere and He’s still watching over you.

You’ve loved Hershey Park from the very first time we took you three years ago.  You were only 18 months old the first time.  You didn’t like the merry-go-round and were too small for any other rides, but that didn’t stop you from having a blast.  You were delighted to discover a canal with ducks running through the park (you’ve been fascinated with ducks your entire life as of this writing).  On top of that, you spent at least an hour standing to the side of the ride ‘Tidal Force’, watching the spectacular splashes that ensue as each boat arrives at the bottom of the massive water slide.  I think you would have been perfectly happy to watch the boats splash down for a solid week. 

We went again the next summer.  You still liked the ducks and watching the splashes drench the bystanders at Tidal Force, but you were completely finished with baby food by now and had discovered the joys of some of my favorite foods.  Hershey Park became all about your tummy.  Grandma and Pa made sure to keep you full of chocolate milk (clandestinely) while your mom and I went on a couple of rides.  At dinner, you discovered that Hershey Park sells pizza.  You thought eating pizza and washing it down with chocolate milk was just about the greatest idea ever.  Before leaving that night, we introduced you to our favorite ice cream parlor located in the Midway section of the park.  “Pizza and chocolate milk and ice cream.”  It was your mantra for the next year whenever Hershey Park was discussed. 

Last year when we arrived at the park gates, you couldn’t wait to get to the pizza and chocolate milk and ice cream.  That was, until you discovered that there was a brand new water park within the park.  You and I put on our swimsuits and discovered a 12’ yellow water slide, just perfect for a dad and his little girl to ride on together.  We did, and you loved it.  You loved it enough that you asked me to take you on it again.  The line was only two or three minutes long, so we rode it again.  And again.  And again.  Eventually, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Bill decided to go find something to do other than watch us on the slide, so they wandered off, leaving us Bill’s watch so we’d know when it was time to meet the rest of the family for pizza and chocolate milk and ice cream.  We continued to ride the slide dozens of times over the next hour until finally (BLESSEDLY), it was time to meet everyone for dinner.  You weren’t too thrilled at the idea because apparently the water slide trumped pizza and chocolate milk and ice cream, but off we went nonetheless.  No one could believe we were riding on that slide the entire time.  You couldn’t believe you had to wait until the following year to go on it again.  The water slide was all you talked about for weeks, it was the first thing out of your mouth whenever Hershey Park was mentioned, and it was the reason you asked us on at least a weekly basis (throughout the fall, winter, and spring) when it would be time to go back to Hershey Park again. 

This year we made you wait long into the summer before we went back to Hershey.  We waited because Grandpa Mattix, Aunt Jennifer, Paige, and Leah were planning to visit us and wanted to see Hershey Park for themselves.  Mommy and Cara decided to stay at home this year while you and I showed our company what Hershey Park was all about.  You were about to burst at the anticipation of getting back to the water slide.

The details are too exhausting to even write about, but one thing after another delayed us that day.  We were delayed in departing home.  We were delayed in getting to Hershey.  We were delayed in leaving the car at the park’s parking lot, getting lunch, finishing lunch, getting to the park gate, and getting to the Boardwalk area where the water slide was located.  After being incredibly patient (for which I was very proud of you), we finally managed to change into our suits and get to the water slide.  It was at that moment we discovered that they had changed the pool area this summer.  Instead of being able to walk straight up to the slide, they had enclosed the entire pool area.  Now, we had to wait in a very long line before we could get in the water.  Once in, we could only enjoy it for 20 minutes before the lifeguards kicked us out to make room for the next group waiting in line.  So, after FINALLY getting the slide in sight, you had to wait some more.  You were disappointed and frustrated, but continued to handle it like a trooper, all things considered.  As we continued to wait, Aunt Jennifer noticed the sky was getting dark.  It wasn’t supposed to rain at all that day, but a thunderstorm was bearing down on us all the same.  I started to get worried.

No pool or waterpark will take any chances with public safety.  If there is a chance of even a single lighting strike in the area, they will clear everyone out of the water until that possibility has passed.  The lifeguards, though typically teenagers, waste no time in enforcing those decisions.  For starters, I think they enjoy the power that they hold in their position, but more than anything, they want to keep their job and know that the slightest leniency on their part in enforcing safety rules will see them spending the rest of the summer roaming the park picking up litter rather than hanging out in the water.  As soon as an announcement is made to leave the water, the lifeguards’ whistles start singing and everyone gets out immediately, no debates tolerated.

The dark clouds grew closer as the lifeguards cleared the pool so that the next group could enter.  I was starting to feel very nervous because I didn’t think we were close enough in line to enter the pool on this cycle, and I suspected the storm would cause the pool to be shut down before the following group’s turn.  Sure enough, as soon as the pool was cleared and the first few people in line were admitted, the loudspeaker began running an announcement loop saying that the water rides were closed until further notice due to the approaching storm.  I felt absolutely sick inside, knowing how disappointed you were going to be at having to walk away from the water slide just when it was within your grasp after waiting a solid year for that moment.  Those moments are among the worst moments of parenting.

Not sure how I am going to explain it to you, I kneel down beside you to break the news that we can't go on the slide.  As I'm doing so, I see people entering the pool, despite the announcement that it is closed, an announcement the lifeguards can clearly hear.  I say “Wait a minute” as I pull you toward the entrance, unsure of what is going on.  Because of the announcements, most of those waiting in line in front of us, including Aunt Jennifer and your cousins, have just walked away.  There are suddenly only 10 or 15 people are front of us.  We quickly are at the entrance and are inexplicably admitted to a pool area that has been declared closed for a couple of minutes now.  All the surrounding pools and water rides are deserted, yet here we are, joyously racing for the slide.  The announcement continually plays.  I’m thinking how surreal this is, that the lifeguards at this single attraction are ignoring a clearly audible command to shut the area down.  We ran to the slide, went down it once, and you asked to do it again (BIG SURPRISE!).  As we got to the steps to climb back to the top, the lifeguard said they were shutting down and we had to leave immediately.  I think we were the last ones to use the slide. 

You were disappointed, but only mildly since you at least ridden on the slide once.  Personally, I was practically giddy at the turn of events, especially because I immediately knew what had happened.  God loves you Anna, so much so that He frequently showers that love on you even in trivial things like riding a water slide.  God saw you and knew your impending disappointment after being so patient that day.  He prompted the announcements to clear out the crowd in front of us, then inexplicably kept the lifeguards from shutting the pool down until you had a turn on the slide.  The orchestration of God was unmistakable, and blinding the lifeguards to their duty of evicting us from the water until you’d ridden the slide borders on miraculous.

Never think that God is above the details.  Never think that God is only interested in blessing His children in matters of eternal consequence.  Never believe that He’s too busy running the universe to be able to concentrate on comparative trivialities in our lives.  Never doubt that He loves those who belong to His Son very much, and that He delights in blessing them.  Why do so many people refuse to worship a God like ours???