November 3, 1999
DOWN HOME:
If something is lost, try
looking where it belongs
___The phone rang one morning last week, and my wife spoke rapidly on the other end of the line.
___This immediately concerned me, because although Joanna usually calls when she gets home from work, she rarely phones before she leaves in the morning. It's like our breakfast conversation over the newspaper and cereal is enough to last her all day long.
___"Molly can't find her band folder, and she thinks you've probably done something withit," Jo announced. "Do you know where it is?"
MARV KNOX
Editor
___Now, if you're not a member of my family, you might think this accusatory tone sounds a bit judgmental. Kinda like I've been tried and convicted before I've had a chance to ask for the quarter to call my lawyer.
___But do not think too harshly of my red-headed Reason for Getting Up In the Morning. I've been guilty of losing stuff many, many times.
___I'm incorrigible. I grew up believing the 11th Commandment was: "Thou shalt keep everything in its place."
___So, I've "lost" many household items by putting them up. I've been guilty of picking up shoes from under the coffee table in the den and putting them in bedroom closets, of all places. Occasionally, and this is painful to admit, I even pick up books and put them in--gasp--bookshelves.
___Consequently, when Jo, Molly or Lindsay can't find anything, they naturally assume I've moved it.
___Well, the last time I saw Molly's band folder, it was with her flute, which she found, so I got off the hook.
___We resisted the urge to call the National Guard, but I have it on good authority that Jo and Molly turned Molly's room and the den, kitchen and laundry room inside-out before they gave up.
___That night, I asked about the folder. "Oh, it was in the band hall," Molly reported. Right there, all the time.
___Of course, our children come by this I-can't-find-itness naturally.
___Early in our marriage, Jo announced we were flat out of hangers. We had none, zip, nada that were not already in use.
___I went to her clothes closet, flipped through her blouses and dresses, and returned with 23 empty hangers.
___Lest I feel tempted to gloat, I remember that I usually can't find the telephone until it rings. I can't locate the TV remote if my life depends on it. And woe is me if I fail to hang my car keys on the little hook by the door to the garage.
___When I think about losing stuff, I'm reminded of folks who seem to lose their way in life. They try to find "it" in jobs, possessions and people. And all they really need is the Lord, who's right there, all the time.
___By the way, this year I'm hiding our Christmas presents unwrapped, under the tree. It's the last place they'll look.
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