If I could turn back time....

If I could find a way...I'd look into the brown bag BEFORE I threw it away...

Oh how comfy the big rock feels that I climbed under last week. Wasn't planning on coming out any time soon, but alas...here I am, ready to share my fun times!

I had the privilege this year of helping plan and coordinate our baby dedication - which I have immensely enjoyed. I was the main contact...the person that everyone RSVP'd to and sent pictures to for our slide show. One sweet parent asked if we could scan in a picture...one of her favorites and return it to her after we were done. Of course...not a problem...well...maybe a little one.

I get to work on Friday last week, which happens to be the day that my boss (our children's minister) takes off, so I am the ONLY one in our office. There is a brown paper lunch sack sitting on my keyboard and I find it strange that it's there. No clue how it got there or who put it there or why it was there, but it was folded up neatly and felt as if nothing were in it. So, I assume it was left by accident and with no one in the office to ask, I think nothing else about it and chunk it...into the TRASH CAN.

You can see where this is going....yeah...fun times.

So the next week....5 days later...when I'm finishing up pictures, I realize there is not one for this particular cutie and I email momma to ask where the picture is that she was going to bring in. I don't hear from her til the next morning, where I am face-to-face with her for ladies bible class and I ask her again about the picture. She says..."Oh, I gave that to Denise(my boss) last Wed night and she said she put it on your desk. I hope it's ok. It was in a ....(get ready) BROWN PAPER SACK." oh my goodness...did she just say what I think she said.... BROWN PAPER SACK!!!!!!!!!! GULP...TEARS...GULP....FREAK OUT!!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS...YOU ARE KIDDING ME??????!!!!!!

I was already a little stressed about getting everything done, but I had just thrown away her son's picture...and it was her FAVORITE!!!! KILL ME NOW! The muscles in my neck tensed up so quick and I did not know what to do. helpless...that's what I was.

I called Denise and so sweet of her....she turned around and went straight to JCPenny's to retrieve another copy or the whole set just to make things better for me all of us but just as we were getting very excited, we realized that her favorite (THE ONE I THREW AWAY) was deleted from their system into never-ever-again-can-be-printed land! Please Lord, save me. We were 3 months too late.

And the story doesn't end here. Our so sweet janitor that obviously cares for people way more than he should jumped into our dumpster - YES, HE DUMPSTER DIVED- just to help us find the picture. We were ever so hopeful....surrounding the pleasant-smelling dumpster as he emptied bag after bag after bag after bag of trash that did not contain the brown paper sack. Oh the disappointment I felt. (I owe him big!)

Luckily for me, this family was very understanding, very forgiving, and very sweet. Although this was her absolute favorite picture of her son, she found another one to bring us. I can't believe she trusted us again, but this time, there were no paper sacks involved. And to be honest, I stayed as FAR AWAY from that picture as I could. Wanna see it??? I have to say...he did get quite a loud "AWWWW" from the crowd on Sunday. And thankfully, her mother has a copy of her favorite picture of her son and will hopefully be able to replace it somehow.

Where's a time machine when you need one? But, by the grace of God, we are all going to be ok. Call me if you need a good rock to climb under....I know of a good one!