Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Little Red Purse



The Little Red Purse




I'd like to share with you today a little story.  Last Saturday we had a Park wide yard sale starting early in the morning here in Sunshine Village.  It was a nice day after a week of rainy days.  So we were up and about early, looking at what folks had to offer throughout the park.  I always put some change and a few bills in my little red Japanese change purse for these occasions and toss it into my shopping/flea market bag.  Well, this time I just slipped it into my light windbreaker pocket and away we went.

The Park next door was also having a sale so we took the golf cart/truck and went over there to look around.  I found a few things and we left.  Just down the road we stopped at another sale, along the short stretch of town road between the two parks.  I met a nice lady and chatted awhile then went along home where I discovered that the little red purse was no longer in my pocket!   Oh no!

 So away we go, retracing our route.  No one since the last purchase in the other park had seen the purse. I had no ID in it except for one of those little plastic grocery store card/tags that we are given to carry on our key chains to use for discounts on purchases at these stores.

Dennis remembered, after our discovery of the lost purse, seeing a fellow in an old and shabby blue truck leaving the park next door, only to backup and back into the same spot and get out of his truck again.  At the time, he thought nothing of it but upon reflection, thought 'why would he do that?'   After giving up in utter defeat and I am feeling so DUMB for not taking better care of my purse, we were setting on the porch and down our street comes the old blue truck checking out our yard sales!  Dennis sees the truck stop at the neighbors and walks over, peeks in the front seat, sees nothing and saunters up to the fellow and asks if he happened to see a little red purse on the ground where we all parked.  He said he wasn't looking down and therefore didn't see a thing.  Well, when Dennis tells me all this I still have it in my mind that he MUST have found it and was enjoying more shopping with my money!

After fuming and fussing at myself the rest of the morning about all this I finally decided that I am a very fortunate person and just maybe this man needed and could use the money much more than I .  Oh, yes, AND my sweet hubby gives me a $20 bill hoping to make me feel better and stop beating up on myself for the carelessness!  So I trashed all my bad thoughts and anger at the man in the blue truck.

On Monday I went to the Flea Market with cousin Natalie and as we wandered around looking at all the neat stuff available, this time with my money safely in a little pocketbook worn over my head and around my neck, we came upon the same lady who chatted with me so friendly- like at our last stop on our fateful Saturday yard sale hop!  She told us she was selling the Be Strong bracelets for Leukemia victims and survivors because she had lost her 24 year old son to the disease.  She was visibly distraught and still mourning.  We spent some time with her and I told her I understood her sadness as I have been through this, having lost two of my precious boys.  In all of our conversation I told her I lived nearby and that I was the lady who came back to her house on Sat. looking for the little red purse.  She lit up like a Christmas tree and took both my hands in hers exclaiming "I found it!!  It was in the bottom of a box of Beanie Babies and when I dumped them out to pack them away, out it fell!"  She remembered me coming by checking for it but didn't know how to contact me.  She called the Winn Dixie supermarket to see if they would tell her who the little tag belonged to but of course, they said that couldn't be done but to bring it in and they would send it to headquarters and they would notify me.
So later in the day I rode my bike over to her house and she presented me with the lost purse, money and tag intact!  And I now have Judy to call a new friend!

God is so good to us!  He led me to have a forgiving spirit toward the supposed holder of the little red purse, NOT to be so ready to accuse.   He led me to the lady who found it!  He gave me a new friend!  I hope I learned a few things!     Blessings to you all.