The family and I decided to take a week and go camping at Smith Point. The waves on this day were incredible. A hurricane far out at sea had kicked up the surf. The waves were higher than the top of the dunes. They rolled in one after another. The sky was clear, and the sun shined brightly. I wanted it, all of it, everything a summer's day at the beach could give. Swimming out to get my first taste of summer fun, I rode some of those beautiful waves savoring it as much as possible. The thing about riding a wave this big is they can break on the sand and if your riding one that does that, it will drill you face first into the sand and then fold you in half breaking your back in the process. If you think that might happen you have to bail out of the wave and I mean quickly. That means stop, but tuck and roll so you don't brake.

I was in heaven, but it was very exhausting. The current was so strong I came back to the shallows to get my wind. This gave me time for some soul searching. I began thinking about the fact that I may have sold my soul. I was afraid I would be condemned to an eternity in hell. Gripped with fear. I wondered how I could possibly fix things with the Almighty. Mostly I was sick and tired of worrying about it. Next, I did something incredibly brave, and equally as stupid.

I issued this challenge to Satan, "Satan, if you think you have any claim to my soul then take it now or release it forever." I then raced back into the ocean and started riding the waves like a mad man.

All the while thinking to myself, he could just send a huge shark to devour me.

Come what may, I was ready. Knowing it probably wouldn't happen that way. I swam on till I exhausted myself completely. Feeling satisfied I waded out of the ocean. Ultimately victorious for conquering the ocean and Satan all in one blow. Sitting around the campfire that night, I was at peace, remembering the swell of the ocean, the roar of the waves and magic of the summer. Life was good.

The next day, I arose early. My wife took the baby home sometime in the middle of the night so she could get some rest in the air conditioning.

"Who wants pancakes?" I asked, deciding to make breakfast for everyone.

"Now it's time for a swim," I said. Samantha and Emily quickly asked to come along and we were off.

The waves were even better than they were the day before. I rode a couple and I got slammed and scraped my shoulder on the sandy bottom. I was still a little tired from my escapades of the day before and the lack of sleep in the hot tent.

As I came close to the shore, Samantha was there. "How is it out there?" she asked.

"It's a little rough," I said. "Why, do you want to go out?"

"Yes," she said.

I had seen Samantha handle some waves in the past, and thought it would be OK if I brought her out to jump through a wave or two.

The waves started to pound in furiously, one after another. One wave caught hold and ripped her from my grasp. She tossed and tumbled. The waves came with such force I managed to catch up with her and bring her through each wave. Next thing I new, we couldn't touch bottom. We were being pulled out to sea amazingly quick. I held her hand, swimming toward the shore with all my might, but the shore drew farther and farther away. Fear began to grip me. It was like falling in quicksand. The more I struggled the worse things were getting.

Fear and dread coursed through my tired body. I waved to the shore frantically for help. Their were two old men standing on the shore watching us, but they didn't venture in.

Cowards, I thought, there is a little girl out here.

My mind raced searching for another solution. I searched the sky for a rescue plane, but that was in vain. We were at least one-quarter mile out. Samantha wouldn't be able to tread water too much longer, even with me holding her.

Despair seized me. I told Samantha,"We might not make it back."

She replied,"what do you mean?"

I didn't tell her what it meant. My tired heart beat a mile a minute. Having no gas left in my tank, I thought about the fact that I could possibly save myself. I quickly dismissed that idea, resigning myself to the fact that these waters might be a chilling end to me. I figured we were both going to make it, or I was going to die trying. Feeling terrible that I got us in this situation made me feel even worse. I had to stop thinking negatively. It wasn't going to help us now anyway.

Telling Samantha to,"relax," I took her right hand in my left and swam with her in tow. She truly did not comprehend the danger we were in. She never cried or tried to lay blame on me. Heading for the shore with every last breath that was left in me. Running marathons didn't make me this tired. Fearing my heart would give out, without looking at the shore or looking at her behind me. I just drove for the shore.

Soon I felt the swell of a wave. It was a monster. Catching this wave would have been possible for me, but not with me towing Samantha behind me. If I caught the wave in she wouldn't and the force of the wave would pull us apart. She would be left to fend for herself and with the tide pulling out so fast she would be lost. If we didn't catch the wave then all the water from this humongous wave would pull us back out to sea as the water receded.

With no energy left and no other choice available, I decided to set her into the wave. It had to be done quickly. Samantha protested quite a bit. The wave was passed me, but with a Herculean effort I managed to push her through the back of the wave into it. My effort paid off as she began to coast toward the shore.

To my luck, another wave arrived right behind it. I rode it some way up the beach, but decided to bail out to look for Sam. I frantically searched for Sam and horrifically, I saw her start to get sucked back out to sea.

"Fight it, Sam. Stand up,"I yelled

"I can't," she cried.

She was in waist-deep water, but the current was so strong she couldn't stand. I was fighting to get to her, but I couldn't get there fast enough. She managed to stand up before another wave crashed down on her. She stood for maybe a half second before that wave hit. She caught the wave instead of passing through and back out to sea, ridding it up to the shore she got up and walked out onto the beach.

I slowly made my way to the shore. The water slipped from my body and I emerged from the sea. Lifting the hangman's noose from my neck in doing so. I swallowed about a ton of water, but somehow managed to tell her, " At least we are alive."

Sitting on shore to regain my composure, gratefully noticing we had gotten swept down the beach a little so I didn't have to face all the people that were now terrified by our harrowing ordeal. I asked Samantha not to tell her mother. Samantha's mother had a lot of problems and she would not of handled this well. I got up and slowly walked over to my beach chair and sat. Even though we were both safe I couldn't shake this feeling of dread. I was exhausted for about three days after this event. Two things you can be sure of. Samantha walked out of that ocean before I did and that I was a complete idiot for taking her out there. I quit smoking the next day and haven't smoked since.

It wasn't till later that day that I prayed an "Our Father". I felt praise coming from God, Jesus and the angels. That was when I remembered my challenge to Satan. He evidently took me up on my offer. I realize now that the two old men standing on the shore watching me were God and Satan. Satan had somehow worked it out with God to give me a test. If I had failed, Satan would have won and I would have been lost.

Jesus says that there is no greater act of love than to lay down your life for a friend. I think my test was to see if I would stay with her, or abandon her and save myself. It's easy to say you wouldn't abandon someone, but when your life is on the line, and your feeling like it's hopeless anyway. It's real easy to rationalize saving yourself. I didn't and we made it. By saving her life, I saved my own.