Yesterday Ben came home from a service project where he had been helping with parking for a special concert at church, and realized that he didn't know where his Kindle was. He had taken his Kindle with him to help pass the time, but he never actually ended up using it. The last place he thought he remembered it being, was on the back seat of the car. We tore the car apart from top to bottom ... no Kindle.
We said a prayer and felt that we should drive the 30 minutes back to the church where he had been helping and see if we could find it. Ben's parents happened to be over and they agreed to hold down the fort so I could go with Ben and help him. After an hour and a half of searching, including driving halfway home only to receive a bit of inspiration which encouraged us to turn around and go back, we found the Kindle, smashed to bits, on the side of the road about 1/4 mile down from the church. Ben had left the Kindle on top of the car and driven off to his assignment, not realizing at the time that the "thump" he heard on the trunk was the Kindle falling off.
Needles to say, I felt slightly sick carrying home the battered Kindle case, back cover, and battery. We couldn't even find the main part of the Kindle. As I sat in the car, mourning the loss of such an expensive and useful "toy", the Lord decided to teach me, I was reminded of something else I had lost a few weeks ago:
We were at a friends' house for a Halloween party 3 weeks ago, and unbeknownst to anyone, Lydia opened the front door (a lever handle, the only kind she can open), went outside, shut the door behind her, and ran off down the road. Just at the moment of her escape, another one of the party guests who was just leaving saw Lydia, snagged her, and brought her back inside. I had just started to look for her since it had been about a minute and a half since I had seen her. Those ninety seconds that could have changed my life forever. Instead, Heavenly Father sent an angel to protect my family.
In the case of the Kindle, there was no guardian angel. We simply lost the Kindle, and it's gone. But when things are lost, although it may be sad, they are only "things" and life will go on pretty much as it did before. I certainly am grateful that even though I don't have a Kindle, I still have my beautiful daughter, my wonderful husband, a roof over our heads, and food on our table. With Thanksgiving next week, I can't help but think this was an appropriate lesson for me. This Thanksgiving, I am genuinely thankful.
4 comments:
Well put...it's all perspective. I'm sorry about the Kindle loss. I would have also been sad. But it breaks my heart to think of anything happening to those I love. Thanks for this post. :) Have a great Thanksgiving. Hope to talk to you soon!
Oh what a scary thing! It's true, it's all relative!! A Kindle compared to a Lydia is nothing. I'm still sad your kindle was smashed, that's no fun, but I'm even happier Lydia is in one piece :P
This actually really touched my heart. I know how much Ben loved his Kindle, and I love the perspective
Sad! But you're so right. I was at a wedding reception and my neighbor's 3 yo left the church building and walked away. No one missed her for a while and when they realized she was gone, it was so scary. Thankfully some one saw her walking near the old cemetary in Provo and called the police. They brought her back to the church. I lost Ford at the mall once and it was terrifying. I'm glad someone helped keep Lydia safe!
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