Between a Rock and a Wet Place

Do you find yourself detesting some of the qualities that initially attracted you to your spouse? Let me tell you about our day yesterday. We loaded up the raft and put in on the Calawah river. It was a beautiful, sunny day perfect for floating. After shooting the raft down the steep bank and loading kids, tackle boxes, oars, the cooler and other assorted gear, we were off. Corey had asked me to pack the camera but the battery had died, so no pictures. We did a little fishing and just meandered along. Audrey fell asleep like she usually does, lulled by the sound of the water and rocking of the raft. Corey had been on parts of this float for work but hadn't done the whole float. Corey asked a few guys who were taking out where we launched what the river was like and they thought we'd be fine. Then we came up on some rapids. The approach was tricky and sent us over to the right, and then there were two large rocks in the middle. Corey was adjusting our course when we were sucked in between the rocks. Wedged against a huge rock with water filling the raft. I blinked a few times, trying to process that we were sideways with water pouring over the side, figuring out how to hold Audrey in the water if we were swept out. After a terrifying minute, we realized that the raft was fairly stable. I said a quick prayer. I decided rather than telling Corey what I was thinking, being positve and helpful would be more likely to get us out of there. I told Ezra to hang on to his seat. The raft has a rowing frame with three seats. Audrey and I were in front, Corey in the middle, and Ezra on the back. Even though the raft was three quarters full of water, the seats sat above the water. Corey used an oar as a lever against the rock and I was pushing with my legs to rock the boat for momentum. The boat really wasn't moving anywhere. We sat there and figured out our choices. Go for a swim and hike to the Jeep. Have Corey swim to shore and try to use some ropes and a tree to pull us out. My idea: Corey get a search and rescue team. It looked grim. Then Corey noticed there was more water in the boat, that the nose was almost submerged. He climbed onto the big rock we were stuck against and the boat felt less stable. It was quickly decided that the kids and I would get on the rock. We perched on there, and I felt a little better. At least we were safe, the only problem was we were in the middle of a river. Ezra asked what an "adventure" was and I explained that what was happening was an adventure. (Me trying not to freak out so he wouldn't be scared.) Corey climbed out of the raft into the water(thank goodness for chest waders) and tried pushing. A little scary. I was wondering whether his life insurance covered this sort of thing. The water was just so strong and forceful and I was scared he would get pinned between the raft and the rock. He was able to push the raft almost free. We climbed back in, and then he pushed some more. He managed to jump in just as it broke loose. We pulled over to the bank and said a prayer of gratitude. When we first capsized, I had asked for a blessing of safety for the children and us and that we would be strong, physically and mentally. Corey is a very strong man, but somehow he was made stronger than the river that was pinning us against that rock. I know my prayer was answered and he was given the extra strength needed to get us out of there. He kept a cool head and was determined to get us out of there. The whole episode lasted about 40 minutes. The kids amazed me. Ezra just sat on this seat, didn't seem fazed at all. After awhile, he said he wanted to get going again. Me too, kid!!! Just sat there, quiet. Audrey was laying on my lap while I was pushing with my legs, getting shaken. She just layed there, too. After we climbed on the rock, they started getting a little antsy. Last night when we were tucking Ezra in bed, I told him how proud I was of him that he was brave and didn't cry. He looked at me, and I could see he realized for the first time that the "adventure" as we were calling it at the time could have been a little scary. NOW- for the record, Corey is very good at the oars. We've gone down as a family quite a few times and he's done a lot of floats patrolling the rivers for work with no problems. Like I said, that water became super strong and fast as we came down through those rocks. We were at the end of the rapids where we were stuck and could have slid off the rock into somewhat calm water and would have been swept to the bank. BUT it was a scary experience and I think it'll be the two of us rafting in the future. I definitely learned to respect the river. I am grateful the kids weren't hurt and we were okay. And that the battery on the camera was dead (what was Corey thinking!?) The only thing lost to the river was my driver's license and fishing license, which fell out of my pocket. So back to the original question. When I was clutching my children on a rock with whitewater swirling around me, I thought, "why couldn't Corey like golf or working on old cars?" I had wanted to spend the day repainting our bedroom furniture!!! The fixes he gets me into...well, I really love him. And I'm really thankful we were kept safe.