September summer blog

As a kid, I loved the times we spent at the beach, and later, as a teen, it was the place to be every weekend.  By 16, it was my dream to become a lifeguard at “our” ocean beach, so I found – and passed – a tough Lifeguard Certification course… though I never did become that lifeguard.  It turned out that I’d need to be on the beach daily at 6 a.m. for training exercises – which meant getting up around 4 a.m. every day… and, well the dream fizzled pretty quickly.

Fast forward to this past July, when a sixteen-year-old, rookie lifeguard, Ryder Williams, saved a young boy who as caught in deadly rip currents, on top of being battered by 8-foot waves!  Ryder didn’t hesitate a second; he raced into the huge, crashing waves to save the boy.  As he struggled to get the boy – and himself – free from the undertow, his partner rushed in to help and together the three of them managed to get safely to shore… 

It isn’t easy to become a lifeguard – but I’m so glad that there are still teens out there willing to go through the rigorous training to reach their dream – and become extraordinary Light-bearers!