HOWe Things Are…

On Wednesdays I have a ladies Bible study at lunch. I frequently arrive late to ladies Bible study at lunch on Wednesdays for a variety of reasons: someone comes to talk to be at 11:58, I go get my lunch out of the fridge and forget to bring my Bible, the book we use, my water bottle,…

Today, having arrived late, there’s a full group and no chairs left in the conference. I grab a chair from someone’s desk, chat while eating lunch, lesson starts and I realize my purse is not with me. Others nearby are alerted (by my frantic glancing about). I indicate I don’t see my purse, small side discussion where others believe that I walked in without a purse. (Interestingly the lesson is about peace, which I don’t really have peace at this moment having lost my purse…).

I retrace steps: it’s not in my office, not in the breakroom (where I was sure I must have left it when I got my lunch), not in the bathroom, not at the front desk, not even in the conference room where I had an earlier meeting. I’m getting more anxious remembering everything in there: credit cards, ID…  keys… I’ve asked a few people. Decide someone must have seen it and stowed it somewhere for when I return from lunch. OR…  perhaps on the desk where I nicked the chair to use… (note that there was praying happening throughout this probably 20 minute search because I kept re-retracing steps thinking it has to be here somewhere…)

I return to Bible study conference room by way of the desk where my purse is not. Making a mental checklist of how to do all the things I need to do to report lost credit cards and get a new drivers’ license, how to get into my house and get spare keys for the car, realizing I won’t be able to go to jail ministry tonight without ID, and there’s a business card with a number I need. It’s amazing how many things are in my purse that present replacement difficulties…

And just outside the door to the conference room…  my purse… right where I set it down when I left to get the chair.

I was almost happy I thought I lost my purse to get to experience the relief at finding it…