Scary!

We had quite the scare Monday night.. We were at my parents, and they have a long, steep, un-carpeted stairway to the basement. My dad put up a little wooden gate when I was little because I almost fell down the stairs when I was Claire's age.

My dad was rushing the down the stairs to (he would kill me if i told anyone this...too bad!) get the plunger for the toliet and in his hurry left the wooden gate open. I saw it open and heard Claire running through the kitchen towards the basement stairs. I reached the gate and just barely pushed it shut with my fingertips at the same time Claire reached the gate, trying to pull it open. They are steep steps...leading down to an uncovered, concrete floor.

I shudder to think of what could have happened if I had even reached the stairs a half second later...I was sick to my stomach all night..thinking about how our lives might have been different if I hadn't seen that my dad left the gate open. Claire doesn't know better...she just wanted to go where my dad was.

I'm so grateful that she's safe and that nothing happened...but it's definitely a lesson learned. Thank you God for keeping my little girl safe. I hugged her a little tighter and spoke a little more sweetly to her.