Didn't you hear me?!!!

My 9 year old son plays pee wee football. We were celebrating my Mom's birthday at our house so we let him skip practice so he could be here. Since he was missing practice he wanted to go for a run so he would "stay in shape". How cute. We live in a rural area and so I let him run a 1/2 mile up the road in front of our house and back. I watched him run out of my sight and waited. It was taking too long for my liking so I yelled for him to hurry back....no reply. Panic!!
I got that sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach and grabbed the other two boys and jumped in the car to find him and there he was.....100 yards from my front door, innocently looking into the creek below a small bridge. Still in a panic I grabbed his arm and said "Where have you been? Didn't you hear me yelling for you? Why didn't you answer me?" After I recomposed, I explained to him that I was worried and didn't mean to yell at him.
Later when I was alone it hit me like a ton of bricks and I just sobbed. Not only because that is one of my biggest fears but because out of no where I began to have this overwhelming sense that, that is probably how my Father feels. I am walking along a dry, fruitless path and we have literally been surrounded by terminal illness and suffering and my Father is shouting"Where have you been? Don't you hear me yelling for you? Why aren't you answering me??"
Wow. It's that simple.