stolen

Monday night the high school at which I teach was robbed. An unknown culprit broke into the music room at night and stole the $2,000 sound system, a set of $600 bells, a $500 violin and a $500 Fender Electric Guitar.

When I arrived at school the next morning my office was a crime scene. Police were fingerprinting. Students were being rerouted to different areas of the building. Everyone was somber. Our school has never had a break in robbery before and tragically most likely one of the students was responsible.

Although it is uncertain how the thieves entered the building it is believe a back door had been left unlocked. I am very sad for the school and epically my co-worker Joe who's possessions were taken. This is truly a tragedy.

On the night of the robbery I left my $1000 laptop sitting out on the table next to the sound system. It was not stolen.

A "feeling" I had had saved me from having my lap top taken as well.

Here is what happened:

Monday afternoon I left school in hurry. I had scheduled an extra after school practice with my choir and then had to rush off to the school district office by 5:00. En rout to the district office I realized that my lap top was still hooked to the sound system. This wasn't new. I had left my lap top at school before. The room was locked and safe.

But suddenly as I drove away from school I felt such a panic at having left the laptop out in the open. I didn't have time to go all the way back to school and retrieve it and make it to the district office by 5:00 p.m. I tried not to worry about it but I couldn't get it out of my brain.

Unable to think of anything else I decided to call my co worker who was in a meeting near the music room. I explained the situation to him and he agreed to hide my lap top in my desk drawer. He was very nice but I knew he thought I was crazy and chalking my frantic phone call to female dramatics. I felt crazy too. Why was this such a big deal? Why had I'd just gotten so worked up over leaving my computer in my class room?

The next morning when I heard about the robbery I pushed past the crime tape to the drawer where my lap to should be. There it was. The thieves hadn't found it. My gut feeling had saved my lap top.


Part II

Gut feelings: Being Mormon I do believe in a God who can when he chooses intervene in our lives to let us know when we are on the right or wrong track. Sure I talk to God but I have to admit, mostly our conversations are pretty one sided with me doing all of the talking.

People at church seem to constantly talk about receiving revelation for everything from what shirt to wear to what way to walk across campus. That has never been me. I chalk up my non receptiveness to bad radar or all of my bad habits like watching rater R movies and drinking diet coke. (I'm happy to know that my foreign film fetish doesn't bar me from revelation.)

Luckily this week I had the feeling to lock up my laptop. The thieves were right near it it but they missed it. I followed my gut feeling and I'm very very grateful.