The Blue Glove

Three things converged last week that culminated in a God-moment that some of my readers may find thin or even errant theology but which I find confirming.and comforting.

Number one was the change in temperatures in southern Indiana last week. Way too early for winter, nonetheless the mercury regularly dipped into the 30s overnights with morning frosts a daily occurrence. Short-sleeved shirts were replaced with heavier, long-sleeved ones in the semi-annual "changing of the closets."

Number two was the ever-increasing level of expertise in and reliance on modern technology. Already somewhat bored with Facebook, last week I figured out how to create a Twitter account and found, within the first ten minutes, I had 14 followers and I was following 35 news sources, writers, and other pundits. With my handy-dandy iPhone I could text, message, facetime, check Facebook, Pinterest, and now Twitter. So far I have tweeted three times. I could also make phone calls.

As an aside, the iPhone came in very handy last week. After several decades of carefully keeping all liquids and most crumbly foods away from my laptop, I spilled a cup of coffee on the keyboard. As the computer sat drying out in a bag of rice for two days, I relied on my phone to bring me news of the outside world. If there is an upside to this, as I sit here typing on that same laptop, completely healed now, every so often, like when I hit the Q, A, and Z on the left side of the keyboard, I can catch a whiff of Pumpkin Spice Coffee.

Number three was my birthday which called for a family dinner and gifts. Love both. One gift from my daughter was a pair of gloves. Because of numbers one and two, the gloves were specially made to allow the wearer to use the iPhone without removing the gloves to punch in passwords, numbers, texts, etc. while keeping hands toasty. Very practical; very warm; very fashionable.

Tuesday night was the meeting of our monthly book club. With temperatures dipping into the 20s, I wore the gloves. When I got to the church where the book discussion would take place, I took the gloves off in the car, since I was parked very close to the door, and hustled into the church. Hustling back to the car afterward I drove home, into the garage and put the garage door down. I picked up my book, purse and one glove. One glove? I looked on the seat, under the seat, in the back seat, on the floor of the garage, and being of the age where these things happen, began to doubt myself. Had I really worn the gloves at all? But yes, I had one of them so I must have. Surely I would not have worn just one glove.

Running through my mind were the following thoughts: How thoughtless of me to lose one of the gloves? What would I tell my daughter when she asked why I never wore them? I had been very careless and carelessness is a sign of being ungrateful. I berated myself.

The next morning I looked again in the car from bumper to bumper and on the garage floor. No blue glove.

I drove back to the church for an early morning meeting. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if I drove right into the parking lot and found that glove in the very space where I had parked the night before?" I thought to myself. My thoughts turned into prayers (here's where the theology becomes thin). If God cares about me, and I care about this glove, might he put me in the right place to find it if it were indeed to be found?

You're way ahead of me on this. I pulled into the parking lot and into the space I had occupied the evening before. There on the ground was the glove, covered with frost but otherwise undamaged.

What a wonderful coincidence some might say. Others might wonder if I really am going to equate my shallow prayer with finding the glove. Some might dismiss the incident as too inconsequential to mention. They will think, she dropped the glove when she got out of the car and found it the next morning. End of story. The more cynical might wonder if I wouldn't have learned a stronger lesson if I'd never found the glove and had to live with the consequences. At the very least, I love the fact that when I found the glove I could look up, grin and have a thankful chat with a God I know exists and delights me at every turn.

And that's what I think about it.