The Missing Key ...

Sometimes the simple act of misplacing something can set in motion a series of events that leaves you laughing, or at least smiling with pleasure ...

On Saturday, I decided to drop some stuff off at the Church before calling it a night ... I got there only to discover that I didn't have the key for the door ... the last time I remembered seeing it was on Wednesday when I had it in my hand and thought "I should take this to the office so it is there for the summer ..."

Oops ... So instead of dropping stuff off at the Church as planned, I instead popped on a CD int he stereo of the van and went for a country road tour ... cruising the highways and the gravel roads with the music of Tiller's Folly and Francis Dunnery playing, I had time to think, to reflect, to pray, and to just chill out ... It was lovely ... As I noted earlier, I highly recommend it.

BUT, then Sunday morning the missing key again became an issue ... I drove to the Church later than my usual time of 10:30, to discover a group of folks standing on the front step waiting for the door to be unlocked !!

It turned out that our Hosts - The Catholic Church didn't have a 9:30 Mass ... and so the church was still locked up tight ... I rolled through the parking lot and zoomed home (yes I exceeded the posted speed limit!!) to look for the key ... I checked ALL the pants and jackets I'd worn in the last few days ... I looked in all the usual places ... I looked in a few unusual places too ... Then I zoomed to the office and looked on my desk ... I looked but couldn't find the key ...

I decided (at about 10:40) that someome - ANYONE - who knew the code for the key box on the side of the building was likely to have arrived by now, and will have unlocked the door ... SSSOOOOO, I drove back to the Church only to discover that the crowd on the front step had grown, and there was no key nor code to be found ... DRAT !!!!

I rasced over to the local convenience store and asked for a phone book and began calling people who would know the code, or have a key ... I started with our regular organist, who is on a much deserved summer vacation - no answer ... I tried the custodian of the Catholic Church - no answer ... I tried two or three elders from the Catholic Church - no answer ...

Glancing at my watch I realized it was now past 10:45 ... and the 11 am start to our service was in peril ... I tried the home of one of our choir members who I KNEW knows the code ... after five rings his brother answered and said "he's not home ..." I asked if he had his cell and if it was on?

The reply was - "yes, but ... he's in the Park, so he may be out of range ..."

It was a chance I had to take ... I got the number and called ... and was THRILLED, absolutely breath-takingly THRILLED to hear his voice ...

"I need the code for the key box..." I pleaded ...

"Why?"

"I haven't got time to tell you. Please, just give me the code and I'll tell you later ..."

Through peals of laughter I was given the code and as he told me, I punched the numbers in and VOILA !! I had a key ... "Thanks," I said as I snapped my cell phone closed and at 10:52 (I checked on the phone as it closed) with a mere 8 minutes to spare - we were good to go ...

There was ALOT of laughter and smiles as we made our way into the building for our Canada Day Worship service ... we hurriedly handed out hymn books and bulletins and got ready in a rush ... But we started at 11 and had you walked in at that point, you would NEVER know anything had happened ... The Thunderstorm that rumbled overhead simply added to the drama and the background ...

I've already gotten a fair bit of ribbing about showing up with no key ... and it will no doubt continue ...

The funniest part for me was arriving home after Church and strolling into the kitchen to get lunch ready only to find the key sitting on the stove behind the KETTLE !!!

Another DRAT !!!

I hadn't looked there !!!!

Oh well, after 15 years in ministry, to have arrived at a locked church only TWICE sans key, is pretty impressive, particularly when one considers how scattered I can be on a Sunday Morning ...

The morale of the story: Tomorrow the key goes to the office for safe keeping !!!