a slight delay

Abram says it's a curse, Mark says it is just a coincidence and that things just aren't made as well as they used to be made.  I can't believe how statistically improbable it is that I can buy the one item out of 100 in a stack at the store that is broken, or have an appliance break and hear a repairman say, "I've never seen or heard of this before," or to get on an airplane and hear the pilot say, "Sorry folks, but it looks like one of our engines is not working, so we're going to have to get a new plane in here," or to have an electronic device have major freak-outs that nobody can explain.

Seriously, do you know of anyone who has had more flat tires that me?  When I walk into Les Schwab they greet me by name.  I am not kidding.

I am convinced that I have an ultra-powerful electromagnetic field around me that messes with things somehow.  But it is just how things go, and I know that.  I always say it is our selfless sacrifice for the rest of mankind.  We are taking the big hit so that others can go on with their lives as normal.  There is no way cyber-commerce could exist if every person had the same percentage of purchases-gone-wrong as I have had.

But when things go right, they go very right.  And it makes me very grateful when they do.  It's never big things that go wrong, just lots of these little unimportant things, so it's not a big deal.  I am grateful that it is just little things that don't matter or can be fixed that happen to go wrong.

The story this week is that somehow Abram's mission papers didn't go in on January 3rd when they were submitted to Salt Lake.  I got a phone call on the 3rd congratulating me on my great son and telling me the papers had been submitted.  We were all expecting him to get his call on Wednesday.

But something happened in cyber-space, and the papers didn't go in.  It will be another week before we learn where Abram will serve his mission.  I feel like a kid whose parents just said, "We're going to have to postpone Christmas for a week." 

I'm choosing to look at it like this:  the place he is supposed to serve would not have had a spot for him yet if the papers had gone in as planned.  It's all good.

Everything happens for a reason.  I have had too many little miracles happen in my life to believe anything else.

Here is one example, totally unrelated.  This week I took a last-minute sub job on a day I wasn't planning to work.  I just felt like I should go.  Plus, it was high school science--how could I turn it down?  Anyway, about half-way through the day a bunch of kids were talking about an incredible teacher they had in middle school.  They were giving great details about the way this teacher had done things to make them so fun and memorable.  I happen to be friends with this teacher, and I also think he is the best teacher my kids have ever had.

I just sat and listened to these kids talk.  And then I sent a message to this teacher to let him know what had just happend.  I just felt like I should do it.  And then I got this reply:

Now see what you've gone and done! Made me all misty and wanting to keep doing this..  In all seriousness, thanks so much for sending that along to me. It really does recharge the batteries to know that once they've left here, they still remember, still appreciate and still talk about class.

You never know... they sit here and be 7th and 8th graders and you just don't know. It's nice to hear that what I do -- and how I do it -- has a lasting impact... I really was really feeling like backing off and not doing all the extras... but now I know I shouldn't do that. Mysterious ways, eh?

Yep.  Mysterious ways.