Excitement

I had great plans for this blog post. I've been thinking extensively about faith, healing and the interplay of the two, and planned to open this entry with the following line:

There is no way I can emerge from this experience unchanged.

There was so much I wanted to share, so many reflections to pass on. And I'll still write that entry, I promise, but God's nemesis threw a wrench into those plans: We went out to dinner and my wallet was stolen.

Lovely, isn't it? I discovered the theft when Adam called me moments after I'd gotten home with Abby, Isaac and Brady to let me know that AmEx had called to let him know there had been a string of 'suspicious' charges on my account this evening. I was immediately alarmed, and assumed that someone had gotten my card number; maybe I hadn't been careful enough to conceal it while I was paying for my dress at the mall yesterday. But no, it was worse than that: I opened my purse and discovered that my entire wallet was gone. My driver's license and all of my credit cards.

And suddenly, I knew nearly the precise moment that it'd been taken. We were sitting in a Fuddruckers near CHO. A young African American guy sat down behind Abby and I. I usually keep my purse on the floor between my feet when we're out, but for some reason, tonight I slung it across the back of my chair. Abby was particularly squirrelly, and I was only partially aware of the guy and his partner, but I was aware enough to recognize that they sat behind us for approximately 2 minutes and never ate any food. Just enough time for him to slip his hand into my purse and steal my wallet.

As I drove the kids home, he and his friend went on a spending spree using several of my credit cards, racking up quite a set of bills at area gas stations. The cards have all been cancelled now, but cleaning up the resulting mess will be time-consuming and frustrating.

I called Heidi and Jen for help; Jen and Anna stayed with my trio while Heidi drove me to the E-ville police station so I could file a report. Despite the negativity of the situation, it was almost refreshing to ride in a car with a grown-up and just chatter aimlessly for a little while, and it was a relief to find the humor inherent in the situation. (Because honestly, there's plenty of it.)

Although I won't be writing my planned post this evening, I will still say that despite this latest drama, despite the frustration, and despite the fact that I feel like I must be walking around with a target on my back these days, I believe that God is doing some seriously amazing things in our family's life.

Please keeping lifting up Logan and our family; pray for healing and for peace and for easy resolution of this newest mess. And pray for the kid who stole my wallet and committed a felony by using my credit cards, because he clearly has issues and needs help. Pray that God will enter his life and truly work in his heart.

Thank you and good night.