I am still shaking

Last Week I sat at my kitchen window and watched my three and two year olds playing with a neighbor boy in the backyard. I had never met this new kid but, he seemed nice enough and my kids were having fun so I kept an eye on them and tried to go on with my every day work. I did not ever get too far away but as the hours of play went on a got more comfortable leaving them to play for longer periods of time. When my baby woke up I ran upstairs and got him out of his crib when I came down not a minute later and looked out of my window.... THEY WERE GONE.
I ran to the neighbor boys house and knocked on the door. No Answer. I ran up to the flower bed that My girl likes to go to and they were not there. My children are not wanderers so when I screamed there names and they did not come I began to panic. I ran to my next door neighbor and threw my baby at her when she opened her door and said" My kids are gone" She in turn threw my baby to her husband and headed for the park down the street. I went around to the front door of the little boys house they were playing with and rang the door bell several times. NO answer. Then I ran across the street and knocked on the door of a younger couple in our ward and as he opened the door, I said "My kids are missing" That is all it took. He and his wife were in their cars and driving before I could get the the front office of my community. Then I ran in to the office and told the people there that my kids were missing. They in turn got on their golf carts and started there own search.This all must have happened within five minutes. And soon after that I was on my bike peddling through the neighborhood screaming their names. We searched and searched. Finally I gave in and called the police. But I could not remember what they were wearing. all I knew was that they had no shoes on. So I went into my house to sit for a minute and think so that I could give the police a better description of them.
Then I saw him, the little neighbor boy who they had been playing with 25 minutes earlier in my backyard. I ran to him and yelled"where are my kids!!!" He pointed to my next door neighbors house who pulled me inside where I saw my little boy and girl playing with a train set. My neighbor had watched them come into the backyard from that same new friends house and he immediately pulled them into his house. I have never in my life been more terrified that I was in those moments. I must have sobbed for an hour after I got them back.
It turns out they mother of the little boy had let them into her house to play while her son was getting ready for karate. I will never understand why she would think that my two and three year olds were old enough to say that I knew they were there. And even more why after repeated knocks and rings at her door she did not answer. Of course my brain was in Horror mode while I thought of all of the horrible things that could have happened to them in those twenty five minutes. and only after allot of prayer and talks with them do I now think they really did just watch tom and jerry.
I will never forget the wonderful feeling of being able to call on my neighbors and knowing they would help The two who live next door who took in my youngest baby and ran around with me, and then the sweet couple across the street who did not even think to put on shoes as they got into there separate cars and drove around looking. I am so grateful that my kids were safe. My heart has been aching for days for those parents who do not know where their kids are at night. I do not know how they go on breathing. I hope that we will all remember how lucky we are to hold our children every day and maybe send a prayer up for those who do not.I truly believe that the Lord is watching over us every second and he guides us and our families more than we will ever know.