I don't miss it

After C completed the application online for the ACT, he called me up to pay for the exam. With my ankle the way it is (I rolled it AGAIN, and it looks just as sick and feels just as awful) I told him to go get my purse out of the car. He came up a few minutes later with two different diaper bags. I snapped at him saying they weren't my purse and one of them wasn't even in the car! He swore that my purse wasn't there. I insisted that it was. It always is. I grumpily stormed downstairs knowing that I would surely find my purse and then I could dangle it in his face and tell him, "Told you so!". But, it really was no where to be found. I then raced slowly and limpily (is that a word?) around the house desperate to find my purse. I looked around the car again, the garage, every room in the house, but no where. I was getting frantic seeing how the kids were all in their hoodies ready to be taken out to dinner since we had a nephew visiting.

I noticed myself getting ornerier and ornerier as those few minutes went by. I felt like all the kids didn't really care that my purse was gone. That only made me more upset.

I recently read a book compiled of faith promoting experiences from my family that my mom put together thirteen years ago. Many of those stories flooded my mind. I thought of my aunt who had had her purse stolen, an aunt who loves the temple, my own experience where I lost a pair of keys and turned into a witch before I thought to pray, and my recent endeavor of reading the Book of Mormon this month. I was humbled at the thought of their and my own experiences and I quickly knelt in prayer.

I prayed to know what to pray for. I prayed that only the cash would be taken and that my purse would then be discarded. I waited for an answer as to where to look.

I was sure that the purse must have been taken from my car when the garage door was open. That's all it could have been. (so I thought)

I called in and had a block put on my credit card.

I called a store that I had been to last. I hadn't left it there.

I drove around the neighborhood looking in medical office garbage cans.

I drove through my neighborhood looking behind shrubs.

Just as I was about to return home, I decided to call the second to last store I had been to. I called them and they asked my name. They told me that someone had found my purse in the parking lot and had brought it into the store.

I told them that I'd be there in 20 minutes.

I walked into Savers and the woman recognized me from my drivers license. She told me that she was glad that I had called when I had because her shift was almost done and then she was going to call the police station for them to come pick it up. For all they knew, someone had stolen the purse and then dropped it off in their parking lot.

I told the lady that I never would have thought to call the police station. I would have considered my purse gone forever.

The lady told me that everything was still there and I was very lucky. I agreed with her.

I couldn't get to my car fast enough. She said that everything was still there, but only I knew what I had in my purse. My prescription glasses were there, all my important things in my wallet were there, one of my favorite purses was back, but no cash.

I broke into tears knowing that my Heavenly Father had answered my prayer, and that I had prayed to know what to pray for. I don't know that I had done that before.

I returned home with my purse and the house full of boys greeted me. They were anxious to see if my prayer had been answered. I was grateful for the opportunity to teach them that you can pray to know what to pray for and that Heavenly Father had indeed answered my prayer.

We then headed off to dinner and the kids ate tons of yummy food and had a good time.

I'll never forget that day. As for the cash, I don't miss it. I learned too much by losing it.