Jennifer P. Tanabe

We are all good at losing things. At least I know I am. The question is, do we find them again? Here are some happy tales where what was lost was found, and all was well.

Cats

First, of course, are cats.

Mister Cat

Our beloved Mister cat managed to get himself lost a couple of times. The first time he just disappeared. He was always fond of the outdoors, but if he wasn’t already inside at dinner time he would come running when I rang a little bell and called him.

This time, though, he didn’t come. And the next day he didn’t come. Where was he? We began to look for him, going around first our yard and then the neighbors’ yards calling out for him. No sign. No-one had seen him. Days passed, and soon it was two weeks since we had seen him. Surely this isn’t the end?

Then one morning I heard the cat door open and close and saw a cat running into the kitchen. I went to look and there was this skinny cat eating from his bowl! I wasn’t even sure it was him. I picked up this cat and sure enough it was our Mister. He was skinny but otherwise fine. I let him eat his fill and then he came over to the couch for a nap. As cats do, no fuss. But I could tell he was happy to be home.

I wondered where he had been, so I went outside. The neighbor’s garage door was open! He has a double garage and puts his car on one side, while the other gets the usual collection of things that go in a garage.

Mister must have gone in when the garage door was open. He was still inside when the car came back, and of course he hid in fear of the noise of the car and the door closing. And then it seems my neighbor didn’t go out and leave the door open again until today. Mister was too slow to escape when the door was only open for long enough for the car to go out. Poor Mister cat! We hope he might have been able to catch a mouse or two to eat while he was stuck inside.

The other time Mister got lost was in the winter. We had been away for the weekend and when we returned there had been a big snowstorm. Our driveway was covered in snow. We had to park on the street and dig ourselves in.When I finally got to the front door and went inside, I was greeted by the cats. Of course they had been watching from the window as we shoveled all that white stuff.

As I happily greeted our cats, something was wrong! One of the cats was black, and we don’t have a black cat. And where was Mister? It seems that the black cat, who belonged to a neighbor, had taken shelter from the storm in our house (no doubt invited in by our Princess who liked him).

He was a friendly cat who often visited us. I picked him up and carried him over to the neighbors’ house and explained what had happened. All was well there.

But what about our Mister? I started calling for him. And I heard this little meow. It was coming from a tree! No, he hadn’t climbed the tree. He was sitting on the ground at the base of the trunk in a little circle that had less snow. There was a wall of snow all around him.

I rescued him and brought him back into our house. The other cats seemed to approve. Maybe they were a bit worried about him!

Pippin

Now Mister was not our only cat who got himself lost. Pippin also was good at this. Mostly he just hid, and we couldn’t find him anywhere. But when he got hungry, he would just appear and ask for food. No problem.

One day, after he had learned how to use the cat door to go outside, he didn’t return. And he didn’t show up the next day. That was unusual. So, time to look for him. He wasn’t in any of his usual places inside or outside.

I checked the garage (remembering Mister’s misadventure) but there was no sign of him. Another day passed. Still no Pippin. I kept thinking that he must be stuck in the garage. So, I went out and looked through the window. Sure enough, there he was, sitting forlornly!

I opened the door and called out to him. But he was gone! Pippin, the master at hiding, was scared of the noise the door had made and hid. I called, but nothing. I went back inside the house leaving the door open hoping he would come out. Still nothing. I got his food dish and put his favorite snacks in it, and left it on the floor near the door.

Sure enough, after a bit he came to eat. I was hanging out watching, and slowly approached him. He just looked up and kept eating. Finally, I picked him and his food dish up and brought them inside. Did he learn his lesson about the garage – probably not.

Things get Lost

Not only cats get lost, things do too.

Passports

Our most memorable example is when my husband and daughter lost their passports. I was at a three-week retreat in Korea and they came to join me for the final weekend with the plan that we would all fly home together.

Well, we got to the airport to check in, and their passports were missing! We searched everywhere in their luggage. Time was passing. What to do? We could all miss the plane, or …

Suddenly a friend from the retreat appeared and saw our distress. He suggested that my husband could stay in Korea and get a new passport. He knew where the embassy was and had a friend he could stay with. Our daughter was young enough to travel on my passport, so we got on the plane and went home.

My husband had a memorable time getting a replacement passport, but he succeeded and was able to catch a flight a few days later. However, the next problem was that he is Japanese and has a “Green Card” so just the passport wasn’t enough to get him through immigration at JFK Airport. That was going to be a challenge.

Meanwhile, though, when I got home with my daughter, we unpacked the suitcase that had her things and found their passports! Even though we had searched diligently at the airport we couldn’t find them. My daughter said an angel must have put them back. It was certainly a welcome miracle!

Then, even more amazing, when we went to the airport hoping to rescue my husband from the Immigration room where no doubt they took him, he appeared at the Arrivals place! We jumped up and down and waved his Green Card, calling out. He saw us and we were allowed to go over and give it to him.

The crazy thing was they had told him he needed to pay some kind of fee, and of course he didn’t have any cash so he had to use an ATM. The ATM he was brought to was right there at the Arrivals place where we were waiting. We were all so surprised, and very happy.

Glasses

Who hasn’t lost their glasses? Fortunately, they are usually found again fairly quickly.

One time, though, my husband lost his glasses and despite our best efforts we couldn’t find them. We looked everywhere he usually left them. Nothing.

I remembered that he had been reading in bed the previous day so we checked everywhere in the bedroom. Still nothing. He had another pair, not as good, but he resigned himself to using them for the time being.

A while later I was cleaning the bedroom floor, sweeping under the bed. This is not something I do every day! We had already looked on the floor all around the bed. As I was sweeping, I felt something catch on the broom. I carefully pulled it out. It was his glasses. I don’t know how they got under the bed (but maybe a cat was involved). In any case, the glasses were found. Joy and relief abounded.

Phones

Another common thing to misplace is the cellphone. Usually all it takes to locate a lost cellphone is to call it and follow the ringing sound.

We tried it several times. In different places in the house, in his workshop, in the garage, the porch. Nothing. No sound. Maybe it was turned off? Or maybe he left it somewhere else?

Retracing his steps from the last time he had his phone involved going to several places. We asked at a couple of stores, but they didn’t have it. Then he remembered going to the Post Office. I waiting in the car while he went inside.

We had already looked everywhere in the car, especially under the driver’s seat. I suddenly had the idea just to try calling it again. A miracle – I heard it ringing! With a lot of effort climbing over the seat and reaching under stuff, I found it.

When he came back from the Post Office, I proudly handed it to him. He was astonished, but very happy. He said the battery was almost empty so if I hadn’t called it then it would never have been able to answer.

Lesson learned?

Of course, the best lesson would be to be very careful of all things and not lose them in the first place. However, given that will never happen. Here’s my takeaway from these successful lost and found incidents.

Take responsibility to look in every possible place, three times. Then stop and tell the universe you have tried, and the lost item is important. Then wait. Listen for that still small voice that comes in your mind. When you hear it suggest a place, act. Go and look. That’s the “Seek and you shall find” moment.

I don’t know who tells us where the lost things are, some believe it’s a saint, or an angel, maybe a cat, or even God. I don’t know. All I know is that if you are patient and calm, that voice can tell you where to look.

Then be thankful and rejoice – what was lost is now found.