Save someones life

Um, I don't have pictures of saving this little girls life, but about nine years ago, I went to visit my son in his daycare (he was three at the time.)  There was a really cute one year old munching on a rice cake.  Her Mom was there and so was the daycare provider.  Before we knew it, she was choking on that dry piece of fluffed up crap and literally turning purple and blue.  Her Mom got wide eyed and panicked, and the daycare provider started exclaiming, "What do we do?  What do we do?!!!" 

Instinctively, more than anything, I picked up this little cherub, flipped her over and did the baby whack on the back, between the shoulder blades.  She sputtered, coughed, and started to cry.  Scarily enough, when I set her down, that fucking piece of rice cake lodged in her throat again.  I picked her up again, flipped her over, gave her a thump, and the rice cake spewed out her mouth.  Now she and her mama were really crying.  I was pissed the daycare provider just stood there acting stupid.  What if I hadn't been there?

I walked down the hall, minutes later, shaking and crying.  i was really disturbed and upset about what if's....My friend Nancy, the daycare coordinator, showed up and talked me through the process of process.  I was really glad this little, blonde, chubby baby hadn't died that day. This darling little girl's father turns out to be Native American.  A couple of days later, her Mom asked me to meet her at the daycare center.  I was a bit trepidatious, as I was still very angry at the lack of initiative on the part of the (now fired) daycare worker.  I went to the daycare center and she told me her husband is a maker of wooden flutes.  The picture you see is the gift they gave me for their daughter's life.  When I look at this flute, I remember the sacredness of life and the sanctity/connectivity that all of us share.  :)  ~RamonaMayhem.