Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 12 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.
My subject is: Boo! Tell us the scariest thing that has ever happened to you!
It was submitted by: Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog.
I'm warning you now, this post is not going to be what you'd expect. Yes, I'm going to tell you about the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. But it's a different kind of scary. Terrifying nonetheless.
There was a lot of talk this past May when a 3 year old boy climbed/fell into the enclosure, at the Cincinnati Zoo, where Harambe, a large male gorilla was housed. The gorilla grabbed the young boy, jerked him around. The mother and other spectators were mortified, frantically calling 911. In the end, the Zoo officials had to make the heartbreaking call to kill Harambe.
And the interned exploded.
People chastised, no crucified, the mom. They berated the Zoo and their decision to remove the danger to the child in the only way they could in that moment. The Zoo had to shut down their social media accounts as the only way to stop not only the harassment, but their exposure to the "humorous" memes.
As the criticism grew to a fever pitch, especially towards the mom, I was appalled. How can people be so judgemental? Has no one ever looked away from a young child for a moment?
I had.
When College Boy was about 5 and PurDude about 4, we were visiting my sister and her family back in Boston. It was a warm summer afternoon and we were all out front. My sister, her husband and son, her in laws, my husband and sons, my mom and step father and I. We were all spending a leisurely day enjoying the weather and preparing to have dinner together.
Vegetable Rotini with Chicken in Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Suddenly we see a flash out of the corner of our eyes and realize that the dog has gotten out. This dog, a Huskie, could run. Panic and pandemonium ensued. Some of us ran down the street to the left, some to the right, others ran straight ahead, all calling to the dog. My brother in law jumped in the car and drove off, hoping to cover more ground that way. I remember standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, slowly circling, searching to see if I could catch a glimpse of the dog.
A few minutes later, I turned from looking off to the right to look again up to the left. What I saw haunts me to this day. Just turning the corner onto the street on which I'm standing, I see a woman walking towards me. Holding the hand of my 4 year old.
She looked at me and said "does he belong to someone here?" I thought I saw disapproval on her face but that might have just been projection. Doesn't matter. No one disapproved of me in that moment more than I did.
I grabbed that little boy and hugged him. I hugged him like I'd never let go. I hugged him like I knew I might have never hugged him again.
And I thanked that woman. Profusely. Endlessly.
I will never. I mean never judge a mother who looks away for a minute. Because I did. It turned out for me. Lucky me. But seeing that woman walking towards me holding my son's hand? That was the most humbling, paralyzing, terrifying experience. And let me tell you, it does not diminish with time. It has the same visceral intensity now as it had in that mortifying moment almost 20 years ago.
And when that child fell into Harambe's enclosure, I went immediately back to that day in Boston. The horrifying terror returned. Along with an overwhelming empathy for that mom. No one, publicly or privately, will judge her more harshly than she will herself.
Well beyond that day. For the rest of her life.
Vegetable Rotini with Chicken in Pumpkin Cream Sauce
©www.BakingInATornado.com
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
12 oz vegetable rotini, cooked al dente
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt, pepper, onion powder
2 TBSP olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup (plus more for sprinkling) grated parmesan
paprika
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.
*Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add the chicken, sprinkle with salt, pepper and onion powder. Cook and stir until juices run clear.
*Drain the chicken and add to the pot with the pasta.
*Wipe the saute pan with a paper towel and return to the stove. Add the other TBSP olive oil and the onion. Cook and stir until onion is soft. Add the heavy cream, pumpkin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and nutmeg to the pan. Whisk.
*Cook and stir the sauce just until it boils. Turn off heat and whisk in 1/4 cup parmesan.
*Add the sauce to the pot with the pasta and chicken. Mix well, then add to the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with more parmesan, then paprika. Cover with foil.
*Bake for 35 minutes until completely hot and sauce bubbles.
