to infinity and beyond

yesterday i learned of a man and his 12 yr old autistic son who were swept out to sea while swimming off the coast of florida. the boy is pretty much a non verbal autistic, except for his love of disney movie phrases. when the father realized they were in trouble and unable to make it back to shore, he kept in touch with and encouraged his son by shouting out phrases from favorite movies. most often used - "to infinity and beyond". darkness set in. they could no longer see each other. i can almost hear the father calling "to infinity..." and the enthusiastic reply of the son "... and beyond". fourteen hours passed as the two drifted further apart. the water was dark and treacherous. by early morning light the young boy would no longer respond. a rescue helicopter spotted the man and hoisted him to the safety of a nearby coast guard ship. there was no sightings of the 12 year old. despondent the man retreated below deck to gather courage and morn his loss. after sometime the rescuers bid the man to come up on deck. they pointed to a helicopter and said that his son was on board and he was ok. rejoicing the father kissed every guardsmen on board ship. the boy survived because he knew his father was near. in his innocence he simply believed he was on an adventure and did not allow fear to set in.

i think that our Father is calling out to us..."to eternity and beyond". He is on our side, cheering us on, knowing we can make it through dark nights and treacherous waters. we need to be brave like the 12 year old who believed and had no fear. if we are prepared, by knowing that the love of our Father in Heaven is constant, we have nothing to fear. so here's to "infinity...ie eternity....and beyond."

Christopher Marino was rescued after nearly 14 hours in the sea.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26639098/