Thanksgiving III

December 31 – And the final Thanksgiving installment, on the last day of the year!

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Finally it was time for David to drive us the 50-mile trip to our home. First he drove us around the area showing us where he faithfully walks five miles every night. I always enjoy hearing about different areas in his neighborhood. “Now when I call you while I’m walking, you will have some idea where I am.” The very next day he did phone and told us he was at that time walking the “cement road.”

As we neared our home, I wished that David wouldn’t have to drive those fifty miles back to his. Just before I got out of the car, I checked my left pocket, to be sure that bridge was there, especially since there is a rip in the other pocket! After we carried the empty containers and the coolers into the kitchen, along with food that Darlene had sent for us, it was time for David to leave after we had finally convinced him that he should have taken the frozen strawberries out of the container back at his home! So we finally convinced him to take them back with him this time.

However as often happens, I remembered something:

“Oh, just a minute, David, I’m having a computer problem that I know you can fix for us!”

“But, Mom, I need to go home and walk my five miles yet tonight!”

“I know you will fix it and it always slows me down!”

”OK, wait till I put these strawberries down. From what you said earlier, I can probably fix it easily!”

And yes, five minutes later the problem was solved, and we were standing in the driveway waving to David as he left.

At first I didn’t give one thought to the bridge, but later as we were getting ready for bed, I realized that it wasn’t in its box near the bathroom sink. So what?

• I would just check out the kitchen counter to see if I had put it there. No.
• On the dresser in the bed room? No.
• Finally I thought of my jacket pocket. It wasn’t there either.
• I even checked the torn pocket and the area below it. Nothing!

[ Kitchen wastebasket? ]

Then I began praying that I would find my bridge somewhere, but I wasn’t quite as worried as I should have been. What did I do? I looked in all of the places it might be. Bathroom sink area, kitchen shelf, and no point in looking in the wastebasket in the kitchen because I saw Dale checking that, and I told him I never was near that area. So how crazy was I was by that time? I turned on the light above the driveway and with a flashlight in my hand; I crept around the area checking each small, each tiny pile of leaves, until I was just ready to lose hope. Again I checked each area where it might be, even going back to my jacket to see if I might have missed it the several times I had searched.

Finally, when I was just about ready to check the wastebasket, even though I KNEW it wasn’t in that container, I asked God once more to find that bridge! And from the trashcan I pulled out a plastic bag that was covering something white. And under that white? I am almost shaking to think of the answered prayer.

[ Guess what’s in here? ]

Yes, under that white bag and folded napkin just like the ones we had at David’s home, and just like the napkin in which I had wrapped my bridge! That’s all I could think of for a long time that night and first thing in the morning. It told me once again, that God is not only solving the big problems, but also the smallest ones as we ask Him for help.

Here are the emails we exchanged with David as he was driving home:

Just came in from searching the driveway. No luck. Dad said I told you I was searching for keys in my pocket. No. Teeth it was. I wonder if they fell out as I was getting out of the door. Sure do hope we find them.
Mom

Rejoice with us as the teeth have been found. Mom just discovered them in the wastebasket, wrapped up in a sheet of paper. She is very happy and is sorry to have bothered you. Dad

Glad to hear it. I am sure there was a bit of panic there for awhile.
Dave

One final note. David forgot the strawberries, leaving them on the sink top in the kitchen!

Happy New Year! – CHRIS