The Time I Lost My Phone (Then Found It) and What I Learned From It

My phone is my life. I know what you're thinking. I'm crazy and that's weird. And while that may be true, I have plenty of reasons for saying it. For example, if it's not in my calendar, it's not happening. Sorry to those of you I may have bailed on or forgotten about unintentionally, it probably wasn't in my calendar. In fact, I've had to call doctor's offices to be reminded of when I set up my appointment. I also have my pictures on my phone. I love taking pictures. I also love the memories and reminders pictures represent. When I accepted the fact I was never getting my phone back, I still couldn't accept that months of pictures would be gone.

Several months ago, I read an article about a man who found his phone, which had been stolen, because of an app. It had GPS tracking, a siren that could be played if you lost your phone, and the ability to back up data. It also scans apps when they're downloaded or updated to make sure there's no malware. I went in my app store and downloaded it - just in case.

As I got out of the car and realized I didn't have my phone, my first instinct was to look around in my car. We searched under and in seats. We searched the shopping bags we had. We even wound up going back to the store. Still, no phone. We called and called. And called. And called until the battery was nearly dead. I went to the Verizon store to see if they could track it, but because I didn't have their insurance, there was nothing they could do. Then I remembered my app. I had forgotten the name, but I remembered what it looked like. A quick google search and I found the name of my app: "Lookout." 

My phone was checked in to a location in Colbert. After realizing that the date it was pinged was 6-28 and the address was my cousin's, we tried calling it again to discover the battery was dead. What could I do? The only thing I could think of was, "pray." I had people praying everywhere. Praying that I would find it; praying that God would physically move it from one place to another - He'd done it before. I woke up and headed to the store to check one more time if anyone had turned it in. Still nothing.

I went to work, planning on going by my mother's house and picking up a spare phone so I could have a clock and a means of communication, among other things. I decided to call my phone one more time, on the off chance whoever had it charged it - IF someone had it. It was on. No answer, but it gave me SOME form of hope. I quickly went online to GPS it. There it was. I rallied my mother and we hopped in the car to drive to whoever had my phone. Some people may think, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I know. I had the same thought as we got in the car. And arrived. And confronted the person in possession of my phone.

It happens that the lady who had it wasn't all there. She had previously suffered a stroke, so she was a bit eccentric. She said the cashier at the Dollar Store where I had lost it had asked if it was hers, and without thinking, she had grabbed it, since hers was similar to mine. When she realized she had it, she also realized it was dead. Her husband charged it so they could turn it on and try and contact someone. I had turned the siren on my app on. So when they turned it on, it went off. And they panicked! She and her friend debated what to do because, "They are coming for it!!" One of these women happened to be from Detroit, if that helps you imagine how it may be said.

Anyway, these ladies adorably bantered back and forth until they went to retrieve it from where else but the garbage can. Because that's where it went in the panic. Long story short, I have my phone back!

In the short time I felt out of communication from the world, I learned how much I rely on time. I was always wondering what time it was. I'm not sure if it's just who I am, or if there's a real reason I'm so trained to need to check the time. I also learned that social media is so important! The article I found about an anti-theft app lead me to downloading one, which lead me to my phone. Power of prayer works. I try and believe the best in people. I didn't know what happened to my phone, but I also knew that if that person wanted to use my phone, they'd have to turn it on at some point, relaying their location to my app. Thankfully, the people who had it were understanding and were trying to get my phone back to me - even if it wasn't the way any of us had planned, but then again, when is man's plan God's plan? Now, to find a way to bless these people...

Summer in Spokane - Manito

Every so often, I get to go out and take pictures in fancy places. :) This isn't exactly one of those, but it was nice being able to take pictures. My favorite things to photograph are definitely flowers, but I've been trying to venture just a little...
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