Lost

Have you ever lost something important... keys, a purse, or a wallet? Before a few weeks ago I was able to say I had NEVER lost such a thing. I had gone with the guys into the city to watch them play soccer. On our way home we ran by KFC to grab something to eat for dinner. I had Ms. Izzy with me so balancing her and my wallet became quite the challenge. Therefore, when Carlos asked if he could take food home to him mom I told him to just grab the money himself and go order something. I remember him coming back and showing me the receipt and change as he asked me where I wanted the money. I told him to simply put it back in my wallet.... what I forgot to mention was that I would like to have my wallet put back in my purse. 

The next day as I began searching for my wallet I realized that it was missing. Putting two and two together I figured Carlos must have simply laid my wallet beside my purse instead of putting in back inside. Meaning when I scooped Izzy and my purse up as we left .... I didn't see the neglected wallet we were leaving behind. 

My mind immediately went to the $400 in cash that I had just stuck in my wallet after getting refunded for a refrigerator that didn't work. Just as quickly my thoughts shifted to my debit cards and charge cards that were also in that wallet. As the realization of the loss sunk in I grabbed for my phone so that I could start placing calls to have my cards blocked. However, in the chaos of the end of the Friday work day some how the people at the bank didn't get my card blocked until the following Monday. 

We never would have found that our and it wouldn't have been a problem except for the tiny fact that as Tuesday morning came around my mom got a call saying that my card had been used. By the time the week was out my card had been used almost 20 times to total over $2000. 

So I'm now having to try and fill out paperwork, get police reports, and all kinds of junk in order so that I can begin the process of disputing the charges. It is sad to say that having that much stolen all but cleaned out my bank account... leaving me all but broke! The money thing will work itself out and even the hassle of getting a new card, license, etc. is bearable. 

It is the stuff that I had IN the wallet that has been the hardest to lose. You know.... business cards, social security cards, phone numbers, etc. that you go to your purse to get before realizing that they too were in the wallet that is now gone. Every business card of doctors, lawyers, social workers, and anyone else I've met since getting here were in that wallet. Contacts that I'm now needing to rely on are gone forever. Not to mention the fact that my passport number and social security number were both in there so I have that to worry about. Ahh.... so difficult! 

Yet throughout this entire mess God has continually reminded me that....it is just stuff .... and stuff can be replaced. I can get new debit cards and I can find the numbers to the contacts I need. I can even go in and get my picture retaken and get a new license... even if getting a new one pains me because I did actually liked the picture on the license that was stolen! The fact remains.... they are things.