Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Lost Book


After picking up my daughter, Macee, last Friday, from school, I sensed that she was distressed about something so I ask her what was wrong. She said she felt sick inside because she could not find a book her class had been reading and she needed to turn in her copy. Macee said she remembered taking the book to school but couldn't find it in her locker and wondered if her locker partner had grabbed her copy instead.

I told her not to worry about it, but it bugged her so much all weekend that we went to school early, Monday morning, so Macee could search her mothers car and the Centerville house before she went to school.

After searching through the house, Macee came out of the house with tears running down her checks. I told her not to worry about the book, that we could just buy another one. Macee insisted that her teacher would get mad at her and she just had a strong feeling her locker partner took the book.

On the way to school Macee asked if we could search the car. So we stopped in a parking lot and searched. We didn't find the book, but we did decide to pray to find it. I said a short prayer, asking for help in finding the book, that the Spirit would touch her locker partner in such a way that, if she had taken it, that Macee's locker partner would realize that she had accidentally taken the wrong book.

Within just a few minutes, and just as we arrived at the school, Macee's locker partner texted Macee and announced the she did, in fact, have Macee's book, that she had mistakenly taken it, and that her book was the one that was lost.

As Macee got out of the car, I saw the relief on Macee's face and, although I was happy for my daughter, I told her to remember that sick feeling she had inside, how awful she felt when she thought her book was lost and how awful her locker partner must be feeling now.

I was happy to find out later that Macee's locker partner bravely approached her teacher to tell the teacher about the lost book, only to discover that someone else had turned in the lost book to the teacher.

Although it was a simple thing to pray for, it reaffirmed, to me, the power of prayer. It also reminds us that sorrow is real, and that the sick feeling we sometimes feel inside can be replaced by the sweet feeling of hope.

Sometimes the pain and suffering, we feel, are longer and stronger than we anticipated, but perhaps that is what makes us appreciate moments of relief all the more.

Even in the most basic and trivial of circumstances, we can still call upon the Savior and feel the peace of His presence.