"I hav ur keys..."

I just arrived in home from a trip to Texas. Spent 10 days loving on little Mark and his parents, then flew to Lubbock to be at a luncheon honoring my mother. In the meantime, Drew flew to D.C. and Mexico City.

This time, Drew left my car at the Tampa airport with specific instructions telling me where it was parked. I was getting back Friday afternoon, and he was coming in late Saturday night. I would have the car to go home and could go back to pick him up. We had done this before and it worked out well.

My SWA flight from Lubbock stopped in Dallas and Houston. I decided to check my messages, and there in the texting spot was a message from my sister in Lubbock.

"I hav ur keys..."

I replied, "r u kiding me?"


She found them in the back of her car. Neither of us could figure out how they got back there...although it really didn't matter at that point. She immediately sent them priority mail, but that meant they would arrive in Florida Monday at the earliest. My flight was due to arrive Friday at 3:00.

A couple of my friends from church work in Tampa and live in St. Petersburg, so I tried calling them before they left for the day, but missed them. Asking anyone to come across Tampa Bay and back on a Friday afternoon was crazy, so I just took a cab home.

We had hidden a house key just in case, and I was able to get in. Since Drew's car was here, I found his extra key (in his dresser, just in case) and had transportation. He just drove himself home from the airport in my car.

There's nothing funny or creative about this story. (Well, except it reminds me that I had friends from college who thought they were having a girl, but decided they needed a boy's name, just in case. The more they thought about it, the more they liked the name Justin Case. They named him Justin, but I'm pretty sure they chose a different middle name.)

Anyway, I always had a key hidden under the bumper of the Suburban, just in case, but my new car has funky bumpers, and I never got around to hiding one. You might want to put that on your list of things to do today.

I have this vision of God holding the keys to the Kingdom, and being a bit reluctant to trust me with them. Drew was sweet about it, but I am still so frustrated with myself.

So, Lord, if you don't mind, would you make me copies and hide a set for me just outside the gate?

Just in case.