August 7, 2009
Something happened last week that has Dave and I wondering -- I mean really WONDERING.
After a lot of time and thought, we decided to purchase a $200 recorder that Ryan had recommended to us. It was delivered to the office on a Thursday. Dave put batteries in it and checked it out, then turned it off and put it in his briefcase to bring home. On Friday, he emptied his briefcase looking for it. The manual was there, but the recorder was not. He was sure he had put it in his briefcase, but after completely emptying the briefcase and not finding it, and then checking the house and car, he hoped he had left it at work. He told me about the loss on Saturday, and I told him that I had found his briefcase tipped over when I unloaded the car on Thursday. We both checked the car and I took my turn completely emptying his briefcase. It is a soft briefcase and I was able to flatten it to be sure the recorder wasn't hiding in it somewhere. We just had to wait until Monday to check the office.
The first thing we did when arriving at the office on Monday was check for the recorder. It was not there. We were very disheartened. We had not even had a chance to use it. The only unlikely explanation we could come up with was that the recorder fell out of the briefcase on Thursday and then was knocked out of the car while we unloaded equipment at band practice that night.
Two weeks passed. Then one morning, Dave went to get something out of his briefcase, and there in plain sight was the recorder. He asked me where I had found it. I thought he was teasing and that he had found it. When each of us were convinced the other was totally serious, we checked the recorder. It had been used. But we could not hear the recording on it. No one lives with us, and no one knew about the missing recorder except Dave and I... and Ryan? I suppose a recording from Ryan would have been too much "proof" of life after death, and although I'm certain he would love to have made that mark on our lives, it appears we must continue in faith.
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Meanwhile, we will always ALWAYS wonder about this experience.