What makes a mommy cry?

We had MOPS this morning and Luke and Em did great in their classes. I went to get Luke and then Emily and we went to the gym to help clean up a bit. With Emily safe in my arms and Luke right behind me, I started pushing a cart full of pitchers and coffee pots to the elevator. I turned around and saw Luke, and kept on going. I stopped about 5 feet later to wait for the elevator and turned to look for Luke....no Luke. No biggie, I thought as I walked into the gym full of other children playing....scanning, scanning, scanning.......no Luke. I went back to the cart that I was pushing, assuming he would be waiting there for me...no Luke....I looked at the closet that had been open a minute ago and now it was closed and locked....I knocked on the door and listened for a little man...no Luke. At this point I was getting a bit concerned as there were TONS of mommies and children leaving and heading out the parking lot...I thought maybe he followed the mommie outside....Stay calm, I tell myself.....we are in a church, full of moms, he is fine.......I head downstairs with my cart, thinking he made it downstairs and is waiting for me in the basement kitchen....no Luke. Obviously I was a bit upset at this point as about 10 minutes had gone by...I passes a friend and looked at me asked immediately what was wrong...a bit obvious, I guess....she heads up stairs to help look for him and I finish off my duty of putting away the coffee pots and water pitchers..hoping that I find him waiting for me in one of the rooms I have to be in....No Luke..... As I am heading back upstairs I am starting to get really nervous, my mind is racing and I am starting to sweat and tear up a bit...It has been about 15 minutes now...I run back into my friend coming down the stairs, she said someone found Luke wondering around downstairs looking for mommy, he is sitting on the couch upstairs and Mrs. Amy told him not to move! Good mommy Amy! Thank you! Come to find out, he was alone downstairs looking for me, another mom found him, who does now know me, and took him upstairs to track me down... My friend Amy saw them and she took over until she found me. As soon as I saw him started crying and hugged him so tight. I them told him to sit down in the corner and not to move and had a stern "mommy" talk with him about listening and saying with mommy and staying where mommy tells you, etc, etc.....

Once we made it outside and to the van I was still crying and Luke asked me why I was upset and sad. I told him that I thought I had lost him, and was very worried about him. I told him I was scared that he may have gone outside into the parking lot with out me, he interrupted me and said: "Mommy, I did not look in your eyes, so I can not go outside"...meaning, make eye contact with mom before you EVER go outside.....it was so sweet, so I asked him where he was and he tells me, he was looking for me by his classrooms.

I gave him a long hug, so long in fact, that he pulled back from me and told me he was sorry he made me sad. I tell ya, being a mom is tough, but having a piece of your heart walking around in this world all alone is even tougher. It is just a reminder of how much I love my babies and can not ever imagine having something happen to them. I love you Luke and Emily!