Love is infinite. (256)

"Where is Ian?" asked my Mom. "Did he come inside?"

Ian was about 8 years old at the time, and my Mother allowed him to play in the front yard. A few minutes later, after putting a load of laundry in the washer, she came back to see that he was no longer in the front yard.

My mother doesn't cope well with stress, so when she realized he was no where in the house or yard, she instantly started freaking out. We went outside and did the routine calls.

"Ian! Ian, where are you?"

After a few minutes of this unsuccessful method, I asked a neighbor if he could drive me around the neighborhood to try and spot him. At this time my mother was totally frantic, thinking of the worst possible situations, Amber Alerts and Missing Childs cases zooming through her head.

After searching almost the whole neighborhood unsuccessfully, we finally went to the neighborhood elementary school, where older kids (13 or so) skateboard. Alas, there was Ian. He sneaked out of the yard to go hang out with the "cool skateboard kids" after he saw one of them skateboard past our house.

When we found him, I said "Oh, you're busted." I was angry that he caused my mother so much pain. My youngest brother, about five at the time, was confused, frazzled, and upset. But, I looked at my mom, and she was happy.

She hugged him tight and cried for about ten minutes. I thought she would never let him go.

Although I didn't understand this at the time, being very young, I now know that unconditional love got that name for a reason.