Sometimes, Good Beats Bad, Heroes Conquer Villains, Life Beats Death, and the Universe Smiles a Massive Grin.

by

W. Paul Alexander 

for the 

Better Call Paul blog 

This is a reposting, slightly edited for form and flow.  It is such an amazing story that it deserves to be told over and over.  

Some of you that live in the southeastern part of the United States will remember the Amber Alerts that came through on all of our phones this past Sunday, describing two children that went missing on the west side of Jacksonville (about 10 minutes from my home).  These children are 6-year old Braxton and his 5-year-old sister Bri'ya Williams. 

The area in which they live is full of hazards from small, unsupervised children, including retention ponds, deep woods, and dilapidated structures.  

It took three days of intensive searching until the children were finally found -- a little dehydrated, but otherwise okay.  

Here is the narrative of what happened, according to how the officers found the children: 

On day three of the search for the siblings, who were reported missing Sunday, 19 Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department urban search and rescue personnel were doing a line search, essentially walking shoulder to shoulder, in a wooded area, News4Jax was told. The sheriff said one rescue team member thought he heard a child’s voice, team members fanned out and both children were eventually discovered inside a dilapidated pump house about a quarter mile into the woodline from their home off West Beaver Street.

When I heard that these little guys were in the broke-down pump house deep in the woods, I immediately thought of the massive thunderstorms, potentially tornadoes in that area, that had occurred the last few days, and how scared they must have been as the wind howled in the middle of the night.  

In the end, though, this is a positive story, solely because they were found relatively unharmed, just a bit hungry, tired, scared, and dehydrated; but otherwise, okay.  It appears as though they just got lost, and they there is no foul play involved here.  

This case brought the entire community together, and ultimately, we saw the best possible outcome when the kids were found safe -- so many do not have the luxury of a good outcome, though -- and because of that, this case is being rightfully referred to as Jacksonville's "Christmas Miracle."  

For more information, including an infographic timeline of the search for the kids click here.  

Going for a check-up and treatment via EMS services after being found in the dilapidated pump house.  

I just wanted to share this story really fast -- I know it's on many news stations in the south and southeast; but the entire world deserves to smile a little bit with the parents and loved ones of these kids that got back the best Christmas present in the world -- her children delivered safe and healthy!  

Deo Volente, 

W. Paul Alexande