She asked me to bring my vacation photos to lunch. I don’t know about you, but I very rarely print my photos anymore, so I decided to just bring my iPAD. It had plenty of digital prints of the trip.
We met at our local Panera and exchanged hugs. I hadn’t seen her in several months, so we had a lot to talk about. We ate and talked for almost two hours. We never got around to vacation pictures, but I didn’t mind. Getting caught up on each other’s lives is always fun.
Saying goodbye at the curb outside the restaurant, I headed for my car. I had a few stops to make before heading home. It wasn’t until I jumped back into the car after the Target run that I realized…the iPAD wasn’t in the car.
I froze. My stomach felt sick. I knew I left it in the booth at Panera almost an hour ago. My mind flashed to last year when when I put down my earphones and iPOD to weigh myself at the gym. I got to my car and realized I left them on the floor by the scale. When I got back, both were gone and never seen again. That fast.
I fought the urge to go faster than the speed limit for the fifteen minute ride back to the restaurant. I tried to talk myself out of panicking. Of course, all I could think of was “My husband is going to kill me.” Well, he’ll have to stand in line. I’m going to kill me first.
Back at the Panera, I walked up to the booth where we sat for lunch. No one was sitting there, but my black case wasn’t there either. Sweat was popping out on my neck. I couldn’t believe I forgot to grab it.
It was still crowded, but I saw a worker standing in front of the bakery case.
“Has anyone turned in an iPAD?”
“Oh my gosh! Someone just gave me an item zipped up in a black case. We didn’t open it, but we thought it might be an iPAD.”
I was rooted to the floor until she brought out my case, complete with the tablet inside.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” She replied, “Don’t thank me, thank the honest customer who turned it in.”
How right she was. A person completely unknown and unseen by me, protected my property and saved me from considerable misery. As I drove home, I wondered how many times God has intervened in my life to protect me or my property. Or from a having a miserable day. He certainly worked through this honest customer, but I know that he also moves in plenty of ways that I don’t recognize.
I will remember the customer in my prayers. And I have pledged to be more aware of the other ways God cares for and protects me too. I’ll never see them all. But I’m ready to be more awake.
My Father is always working. And so am I. John 5:17
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Ain’t God good? Oh, yes He is!! Oh, how He loves us and keep His hand of protection on us….and our I-Pads….and trucks!!! 😉
Praise the Lord for honest folks.
I’m so glad someone was honest and returned your iPAD. And yes – isn’t it a comfort that God was also in the middle of this?
I could feel your panic and relate to it. It’s awesome that God protected you and your property and that there are still good people in the world. Hugs. xx
Honest people are truly a blessing.
Wonderful you got your ipad back .
It is true that God protects us daily from dangers and problems we don’t even know about.
Hope you are recuperating well and feeling better. Praying for you.
God bless.
Honest people give you a little hope that all is not bad in the world. 🙂
I am so grateful that the person was honest and turned it in. I can only imagine how relieved you were, Ceil! Oh my! I understand what you are saying about being intentional in looking for the ways that God protects us that we don’t even realize. I am sure there are hundreds of ways He does that…and isn’t that a comfort, that whether we realize it or not, He still is faithful in this task? xo
Oh how I can relate. How wonderfulsomeone was honest. BTW, Hope your healing fine. Blessings
It’s funny the little ways in which God protects us day to day. It makes you wonder about what he does that we never even find out about.
I love to hear about God moments like these, Ceil! He truly watches over us. 🙂
Thank You, God! You care about every one of those daily details … and we are so grateful.
OH I have had that sick feeling before! Thankful that God nudged the right person to turn it in.
What is wrong with us when we get so caught up in our electronic gadgets? OH YES, the cost of replacing them!
Oh what a great and wonderful save!! I think about this very thing all the time, Ceil. How many provisions and protections our God hands us, that we are unaware of in our lives. We have NO idea.
Wow, Ceil! So glad you got it back! A rare turn-out. It always gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling when I hear there are still honest people out there in this world. Bravo for him/her! Take care!
Ceil: I know how thankful you were. When Hubby fell off the curb and broke his ankle. A woman who had some medical background stopped and saw that he was hurt and put him in her car and took him the seven or eight blocks to the hospital. He didn’t think to get her name. I was so relieved that someone would do that, I ghost wrote a letter to the editor and told her she was an angel. We had had snow. He stepped on what we think was black ice.
Oh, that would have made my heart race too! How wonderful that an honest customer turned in your iPad. Thankfully most people probably would have done the same, but it’s still awesome that that one did. And now that customer will receive the blessings of your prayers!
I lost my brand new iPhone at a restaurant a few weeks ago. I realized it as soon as I got to the car…it was still on the booth where we’d left it. I did realize it could have been gone when I got there, though. Any time I find something like that, I always turn it in. I would never think of doing otherwise!
I’m so glad your story ended well. I would be lost without my iPad. It’s great that not only was the patron honest, but also the employee. I love hearing about good things people do. Thanks for sharing.
I was relieved just reading your words. So glad all turned out well Ceil.
God does not want you and your husband to be murderers after all. JK.
I’m glad there are still people honest enough to return valuable things that aren’t theirs. Makes you restore your faith to humanity, right? I hope we’ll have more people like them today.
So glad that turned out for you!!! Praise God indeed for honest people in the world!
Thank God it was still there. He does protect us more than we know.so glad someone was honest enough to turn it in for you.
Hope you are healing, friend. Been a tough couple weeks for me too with a hospital stay and then getting the flu virus before they released me. Been hard to beat with asthma so laying low. Looking forward to February being better for both of us.
X0
reassuring to know there are honest people out there. and yes something huge to be thankful for. wow.
What a huge blessing and how wonderful to know there are still trustworthy people out there! I print out random photos but I send all my photos to Shutterfly so I have a back up besides my computer. Have a lovely weekend.
Honesty and integrity are always refreshing to the soul! I am so glad that it was someone with honest integrity that found your ipad!! And praise God for always working on our behalf! He covers us soooo often! 🙂 Blessings to you Ceil!
What a wonderful testimony of how God was watching out for you! A real blessing!! Have a great week end! Lisa :O)
Oh, wow! Always scary to leave something behind like an ipad. So glad you got it back. We always turn in an item left behind or lost. Would always hope someone would do it for me. Honesty still lives. Glad it lived around you! 😀
Oh Ceil… I could feel your panic, sweat and wanting to drive in the fast lane all the more faster just to know if all was found and saved!
Bless your heart and praise the Lord for His goodness in watching over your property. There are good honest people out there.
I appreciated how you tied this in with how God looks after us when we don’teven realize it.
Have a beautiful week end.
Debbie
Oh, Ceil, that was beautiful. I’m so glad you got your Ipad back. What a blessing. A few months back, I found myself pondering over the many times that God must have had a legion of angels protecting my family and me. I hope I jotted some things down and find it. I was thinking about it again recently and decided I wanted to start making a list of the times and ways God has gone before us, protecting us and preparing our ways. Even when we went through things, imagine the unseen wars that were fought on our behalf. We can be so quick to think where was God when something happens, but we have no idea what went on behind the scenes and the battles that were being fought to protect us.
I just love this…
“And I have pledged to be more aware of the other ways God cares for and protects me too. I’ll never see them all. But I’m ready to be more awake.”
You have such a beautiful soul, Ceil. xo
I loved this story!
That happened to my, Ceil, with my cell phone in the food court in the mall. I left it on the table and 5 minutes later I went to take it out in a store, and it wasn’t there. I understand that panic! Someone had turned it in to the security desk! I also remember that feeling of relief and thanks for honest people! So glad you got it back!
Dear Ceil
Just stopped by to wish you a wonderful day and to say that I am very glad to know someone like you that always inspires me.
May the good Lord always bless and keep you.
In reply to your comment on my last post, “yes , it was never easy for me and at times I felt like giving up but with God by my side I made it through the difficult days and there were many of those.”
I love how God is always working and shows up at just the right time to remind you He has never been far. Ordinary moments such as these are perfect for teaching us about God’s presence. Thank you for sharing this story. Loved it!