St. Anthony....its me AGAIN...

            The other night I was privileged to participate in my home school support group’s mom’s night out.  We don’t do these very often, everyone is so busy home schooling, and caring for their homes, and running kids from one event to another.  I think this is the first one we’ve had this school year.  

            It was a lovely evening.  I relaxed with my friends and a mug of hot tea; and I enjoyed the opportunity to talk and share and laugh a little.  I got home fairly late and didn’t realize that I had lost my cell phone somewhere between arriving at the mom’s night out and going back home a few hours later.  

It wasn’t until lunchtime the next day (when I was eagerly anticipating Tim’s daily phone call from work) that I realized that my phone wasn’t in my purse.  It wasn’t in the car either.  I retraced my steps in my mind.  I know I had it in my hand as I drove to my friend’s house the night before.  I thought I’d need it to get into her gated community and had it out in anticipation, but when another driver opened the gate ahead of me I put the phone down and drove right in.  I haven’t seen my phone since…..

I searched in vain, called myself from the home phone repeatedly, and prayed to St. Anthony (one of my all time favorite saints.  He never lets me down but must surely get a little sick of hearing from me).  The phone was definitely lost.  I called my friend and asked her to search her house as soon as she got a chance.

It is amazing how much we depend on cell phones.  I don't feel like I depend on mine that much.  It is not one of those fancy I-phones with internet capability and super powers.  All it does is make phone calls (and take fuzzy grainy pictures that aren’t really worth taking at all).   And, sometimes, I can actually go days without using my cell phone.  Sometimes I even forget to charge it so that when I do need it, it has only one battery bar left.

But, losing it makes me realize how much I really do rely on it.....

Wouldn’t you know it- last night, when I was without my phone, Tim was running late from work.  He was supposed to meet me and the children at church for Stations of the Cross.  I expected him to be there very shortly after the prayers began at 5:30.  

I watched the doors of the church as I prayed, expecting him any minute.  But the Stations progressed, the clock ticked away, and still Tim did not walk through the doors.  I grew increasingly worried- as much because I knew I couldn’t call him to see where he was and what was going on.  I tried to decide what to do if he didn’t arrive before the prayers ended.  Should I wait for him outside the church?  Should I head home?  Should I borrow a cell phone from a friend and call him from that hoping he’d answer even if he didn’t recognize the number?   Should I go home and start calling hospitals in case something horrible happened?  I really tried to concentrate on the beautiful prayers but my mind and my eyes kept straying to the quiet doors in the back of the church.

Finally, Tim arrived- safe and sound though a little frustrated by the crazy traffic he’d had to deal with.  And, thankfully, my phone was found somewhere in my friend’s neighborhood by a very nice man.  In my relief I did not even ask where he had found it, I just asked him to  leave the phone at my friend’s house, which he did.  My friend will be returning it to me this evening.  

So all’s well that end’s well I guess.   St. Anthony came through for me again, as I knew he would.  But what a pain the convenience of technology can be…..

photo credit-- taken from Wikipedia