"Hello, is this God?"

Some of you know but for those who don't, Jake's laptop was stolen night before last.  Now, it was his fault in that he was careless - he took it to a friend's (parental) home to record some little garage band they had playing and when he left, he forgot his laptop there.  He realized as soon as he walked in our door and I offered to take him back but he didn't want to disturb them.  Seems their folks had shooed everyone off so they could go to bed and he said it would be fine there in their home until morning.  I had a bad feeling, but okay, his choice.  The next morning he texts his friend that we're going to swing by and pick up the laptop and sure enough...it's gone.  I was sick about it and Jake even more so.  For one, this was a very nice, specially modded laptop but worse, it had most of Jake's music and photos on it.  He texts that we're going to come over anyway so he can look for it himself.  We get there.  They are all gone...that or not answering the door.  Jake calls the cops, who take it far more seriously than I'd expected.  The homeowners do finally show up and once our part was done, we leave.  It's obvious the cop who remains is not finished with them and we leave feeling fairly certain someone in that house knows *exactly where that laptop is.  For the record, I don't think it was Jake's friend.  So, we come home and we're both pretty sick over all this, plus I'm trying to figure out what to do since I really don't think his carelessness should be rewarded with a brand new laptop and, at the same time, I'm thinking you really ought to be able to leave something in a friend's home, especially with parents there, and expect it to be okay.  Anyway, we tell my mom, who is *very upset both for the material loss but for the loss of all of Jake's hard work.  I mean, Miss Arse is  in tears upset.  She's old, they get emotional.

So, this morning Miss Arse calls around 11 and asks if we've heard any news.  I tell her no.  The rest of the conversation went like this, with her in italics:

"I'm disappointed.  Now, don't you dare make fun of me, but last night I literally got down on my knees and prayed to God to consider what a good son and grandson Jake is and asked him to please consider getting that laptop back to Jake if he felt Jake was worthy of it and had learned a lesson."

*trying to not giggle because she was so darn serious*
"That was sweet, Mom, thank you.  But you probably ought to be praying for world peace or food for starving children, don't you think?"

"Ohhh, probably, but in the end I really don't give a shit about those things over my grandson being happy."

"Well, while I appreciate that, I'm not so sure God will."

"I'm not so sure He won't!"

"Apparently He doesn't since we don't have the laptop back."

At this point Jake walks out into the room and says (loud enough she can hear him), "Mom!!!  (Friend) just texted me and he's got my laptop!  He said his dad went searching out in the woods this morning and found it!"

"See.  *smug tone* I told you I thought God would think that laptop was important."

At that point, why argue?  She is one happy old lady today with a renewed sense of God and Jesus in her life, and pretty damn confident God listened to her.  That's all that matters.  Jake and I?  Have a renewed faith that we've got at least one bad-ass deputy in this county who put some pressure on that family and that the dad knew *exactly where that laptop was the whole time.  But hey, maybe God sent us that particular deputy...

Either way, we've got the laptop back, a bit scratched up but fine and Miss Arse is convinced she's now got a personal pipeline to God.  It's a good day for us all.  :-)