Amateur Sleuths

Yesterday my sweet husband Brian and I were getting around to go to his cousin's wedding reception in a neighboring town. He dug in my purse to get out the checkbook to write the happy couple a check for a wedding present. It wasn't there. I dug in my purse to try to find the checkbook. It wasn't there. We searched the entire house, every drawer...not once, but twice...we looked in every nook and cranny...I even looked in the refrigerator. We don't write many checks now since we both use our debit cards, but there are certain occasions where it's appropriate or the business isn't set up to accept them. We were trying to figure out who wrote the last check, and I came to the conclusion that he was the one...that he wrote our daughter-in-law a check to put in her birthday card last Wednesday. Now I wasn't passing judgment on him, it was just a fact! I suggested we just put cash in Wil and Lauren's wedding card, and worry about the checkbook when we get home. It was getting late.

When we got back home, the search continued. I was on the sofa trying to read my recent issue of Country Living magazine, pondering if indeed I did write any checks after last Wednesday. I retraced my steps, as any good detective would do. Thursday...no, I didn't spend any money on that day. Friday...oops I did write two checks: one to The Garden Spot for some fresh produce and one to Arend's for some apple cider. I went out into the garage to look in the car, just in case the checkbook had fallen out of my purse, though I don't know how that could have happened. (I had visions of someone having fun writing thousands of dollars of checks on our account...of course none of them would clear the bank due to insufficient funds!) I confessed this check writing deed to Brian, who said that he didn't think he was the one...that my purse was right there on the kitchen island where he wrote the check, and he remembered putting the checkbook back in my purse. After careful searching, I could not find the checkbook in the car. I moved each seat forward and back, looked under, and beside each seat, in the back floorboard...no checkbook. I was feeling a little bit of anxiety at this point, though I was trying to stay calm to think clearly. Brian said he'd go out and look in the car, even though I told him that I just did. He grabbed a flashlight and as he was going out to the garage, I said a little prayer, asking for God's guidance to find this checkbook. After being in the garage no more than a couple of minutes, Brian came back in...I was holding my breath...he came back into the living room holding the flashlight...and the checkbook! It had been wedged between the passenger seat and the console...wedged so tightly that even the human eye couldn't see it without a flashlight and some good detective work. I told Brian that I had just prayed about it...and that should have been the very first thing I/we did when we couldn't find it the first time!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."~~~Philippians 4:6 NIV