yesterday i got my ipad stolen. i dropped my oldest off at her preschool and went to old navy to shop for some clothes for her(i never buy clothes for my little one, is that bad? she just gets the hand me downs, poor thing…). i took the ipad with me so ana would watch it in the cart instead of running away from me and running everywhere, ransacking the isles, pulling down the clothes as she goes, if you have a 2 yr. old, i’m sure you can relate. anywho, she was good for about 6 mins., then she wanted to get down from the cart so i reluctantly put her down asking her to please stay right next to mommy. as soon as her little feet touched the floor, off she went. i bribed her to stay next to me by giving her treats, letting her carry my purse and ransack it as much as she wants, which occupies her and makes her happy for a minute or two but then off she goes. so i would chase her, bring her back to where i was, chase her, bring her back, you get the jist. i finally finished shopping(i’m sweating by the time i’m done everytime) and paid for it and well, some time between all that, someone came to my cart and stole my ipad. i realized it after i bought all my stuff and returned the cart. at first i checked my purse, then my old navy bag to see if i had put it in there but nope. i backtracked and looked everywhere and then told one of the employees and she helped me go around the store asking every single person if they had seen an ipad. nope. i was devastated. what was jay gonna say? the kids cannot survive car rides without it, we had just gotten it for christmas…many thoughts were running through my mind.
i just walked around the store while holding ana for at least 20 mins., hoping something good would happen. then after giving the manager my phone number and my name, i walked despairingly out the store and sat inside my car. i prayed real hard that the person who stole the ipad would realize that their integrity and self respect is worth greater than an ipad and would feel guilty for what they had done so they would return it to the store. there was not one man in the store except for the employees and it was mostly mothers like me with little kids or women in their 30-40’s. why would they do that? i sat in the car for a good 30-35 mins. waiting for something good to happen. and i cried. besides how losing an ipad just sucks, i felt overwhelmed that i’m always muilti tasking and my mind can’t be just on one thing that i need to do but instead has to focus on watching and chasing around the kids, looking for good deals, entertaining the kids, trying to decide what not to buy and what to buy, with no more capability in my mind to make sure where everything is like the ipad. then it was time to pick up my daughter from preschool so off i went.
when adi my 3 yr. old sat in her carseat, i told her,
“adi guess what? i have some bad news. someone stole our ipad.”
adi: “who? what does he look like?
me: “i don’t know dear, i didn’t see the person.”
adi: “well, what does his face look like?”
me: “I didn’t see his face honey, i don’t know.”
adi: “where does he live?”
me: “I don’t know…i don’t know him or where he lives.”
adi: “we gotta go back and find it!”
me: “they’re gone honey, they left already. i’m sorry sweetie.”
adi: “well, we gotta go find where they live so daddy can go bum them! agh…!!” (while covering her eyes and looking sideways)
me: “are you crying adi?”
adi: “no, i’m just wiping my tears off my face.”
then on our drive home i told her how stealing is bad and only bad people steal and it makes jesus sad and we should never take something that isn’t ours because it isn’t nice. we went to go get some lunch to cheer us up and then i got an unknown phone call. it was from old navy! someone had returned it after 2 hrs.!!! i asked the employee if the person said anything when they returned it and she said all they said was how they found it in the cart. uh huh, i guess you could put it that way. but i was just really happy and relieved and told adi immediately. she said to me, “the bad guy returned it?” then i had to talk to her about how he/she is no longer a bad guy since they returned it. “huh? the bad guy is nice?” she was a little confused haha.
so i want to say to the person who stole it and returned it, thank you. you’re a good person after all. and no hard feelings. and thank you heavenly father for answering my prayers. you are the sweetest.
dotblogg says
what an adventure! I love children's reactions to new things;))Adi's the best!:D
have a great day and keep an eye on your ipad;)
Abbie Normal says
What a blessing!!! I can't count the number of times I have lost something very important (my engagement ring, my phone, my car keys) and have searched for a long time, only to remind myself to pause and ask for God's help. And, inevitably, I find what I had misplaced in a very obvious place, oftentimes one I thought I had looked at before. Those little miracles are what really show that the Lord takes an active role in our lives. I'm so happy for you!
Yolanda @ Miss Refashionista says
Ohh my!!
I'm so sorry!
I have an ipad and she's my 2nd child! if I ever lost her, I would go crazy.
I guess you can relate! π
Why are there so many bad souls in this world?
MisImpulsive says
That is quite a miracle! But I would just like to add, because I get this lecture from my cop boyfriend all the time, that you shouldn't ever let these things out of your sight. The excuses he gets from theft victims are always "I just turned around for A SECOND…" but anybody and everybody is capable of stealing – including those moms, who could surely be tight budgeted and wishing they could have an iPad – not necessarily just a man or somebody who looks like trouble. So always be aware of where your purse or your iPad is, don't leave it on your cart and turn around, etc.
Glad this worked out for you!
Kory says
Is anyone going to ask what Adi's definition of 'bum them' is? Just asking.
Mama Violet says
that's a blessing.
GabbyRM says
I'm so glad you got it back! I can imagine how terrible you must have felt π
Melissa says
Ah, I'd be heartbroken. I'm so happy that you got it back!
Leah says
My heart was in my throat reading that, until I got to the end! I don't have an iPad (yet), but the few times I've misplaced my iPhone I about threw up. It's like a limb to me.
So glad the person felt bad and returned it!!
Amy says
I'm with Kory, what does Bum them really mean?
Anyway I am so glad it was found!
Just Another Hat says
I think my son would be the most devastated if our iPad got stolen. Glad to hear that you got yours back. Prayers, prayers, prayers.
Beverly @ FlamingoToes.com says
I'm sooo glad you got your ipad back!! What a huge blessing and what a great example to your little one about the power of prayer!
Melissa says
oh wow, that's an amazing story, i wish i had the same luck when i had my itouch (christmas present) stolen last week
LeRae says
What a scare! I'm so glad you got it back~~~ I love Adi's conversation! she is so cute.
vanilla with sprinkles
Sarah says
thanks everyone! and kory and amy: bum means bumping them i think. she got it from her cousin who would go "bum" us which was more of a playful, gentle bumping. but when adi said it i don't think she meant playful or gentle. π
Katie says
Wow, what a story!
kayemkay says
What a great ending Sarah.
I just started reading your blog and this little one caught my eye for sure.
Stories like this are rare, so I'm praising God with you… the prodigal ipad has come home! π
Cheers,
Kasey
Lynn says
oh wow sarah! i'm so relieved that you got it back. yay for good people and prayers! π
bethie says
hi, just stumbled on your blog and love it already! i am very much like you (minus the kids at the moment). but i know i would have just sat in my car- crying and praying after every attempt of retrieving it back somehow! I'm so glad that there are still some "good" enough people out there and gives all hope to be better people especially when there's always 2 sides to a story. i mean, that's pretty rare for anyone to return an ipad! π i love your daughter's responses- so cute!
rain says
wow! this is a blessing! what an amazing story!
i just found your blog but look forward to coming back. π
Dave and Natasha says
Wow, that's amazing! I'm so glad you got it back! So happy that your prayers were answered! I would have been so upset too!
Ellen says
wow, it's so neat to see how God loves and takes care of the faithful!
Good for you for keeping it real and a teachable moment for your daughter!
Jenelle says
OMG! That was an amazing post. There was so much in there from heart break to a lesson learned. I know how you feel when you are multitasking with a little one, trying to get things done, trying to remember everything that you need and yet keep an eye on them.
I was praying the entire time that someone would find it and return it. I am glad that they did.
Although it was tough emotional situation for you..it was also a great teaching opportunity for Adi and that was great that you seized the opportunity.
I love happy endings.
BTW: newest follower. Just stopping by to return the love.
Looking forward to reading more.