the world didn't end after all

I'm in California for the holidays, my first H Christmas! We got in Wednesday, and settled into Jon's childhood bedroom. Then it was family and fun--including Sarah Silverman and Friends (including one of my faves, Aziz Ansari!)--until I went for a walk with my sisters in law.

My oversize wallet was half hanging out of my pocket, and while I took a moment to say, "Self, just watch, you are going to lose your wallet this way," I walked on out the door, around the block, through the park and to the coffee shop. The trip was about 20 minutes, total.

And then I noticed my wallet was gone.

In the following hours I ransacked the entire house, driveway, street, park, coffee shop enlisting help from the family. I even bothered Madelyn when she was out with friends to ask about it. There weren't that many people out, it was the middle of the day, and I couldn't understand where the heck it had gone.

Right before I got to the dirty business of canceling credit cards and completely flipping out about how I was going to get on a plane without my Drivers' License, Jon suggested we check the post office. He thought he had seen a mail carrier around when we were frantically checking every lawn on the sidewalk. News to me, but people who find wallets sometimes drop them off to the old P.O.

We went to the nearest post office looking for the mail carrier for his block, but they didn't have it. The sweet girl behind the counter apologized and said they didn't have it, but we could try the bigger post office in town.

Jon drove me down to the bigger post office, where the line was out the door with people trying to get their holiday cards in the post. I rang the buzzer at the post-office box window. A mail carrier came to help and then called the boss.

When the boss walked up to the window and said they have my wallet, I about did a cartwheel. I had been ready to give up--apparently the nice lady at the first post office called and said a couple would be coming by and to send them back to the first place. Someone had put my wallet in their mailbox!

All the cash was gone, but my credit cards, ID and gift cards were all there.

IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!


And the best part? I didn't have to have my parents express-mail my passport to get home. I hope whoever took my money does something good with it. I'm just thankful they put my stuff in a mailbox and not a trashcan.