The Adventures of Little Camera

Once upon a time there was a little camera. It's real name was Canon PowerShot A85, but it's family referred to it as Little Camera. Little Camera lived quite happily with Mom, Dad, Big Sister, Little Sister, and Little Brother and was toted from place to place, snapping pictures here and there. Little Camera wasn't fancy and couldn't really do any special tricks, but it always got the job done. Sometimes Mom complained about Little Camera. She wanted more mega pixels, faster shutter speeds, and clearer shots. But Little Camera would just have to do until Mom saved up enough money to bring home a BIG camera.

One day, Little Camera went to the park with Mom and the kids. They picnicked and played with friends, taking pictures all the while, and had a grand old time until Big Sister and Little Brother wound up in time out. This quickly led to a speedy departure from the park. A few days later, Mom went to upload some pictures from Little Camera (she was thinking about a blog post she wanted to work on!)...but Little Camera was nowhere to be found.

"HMMM," thought Mom. "Now where is Little Camera? Let's see...not in my purse...not next to the computer...not in the van...not on the counter or by the front bench or in any of the bedrooms..." Suddenly she gasped. "The last time I had Little Camera was at the park...three days ago!"

Mom felt awful. How could she have forgotten Little Camera at the park? What had happened to Little Camera? Had someone found it? Would anyone turn it in if they did? Where would they bring it? Would it be gone forever?

It was almost dark and an evening shower had just blown through. Mom grabbed her keys and headed to the park. She looked around the shadowy wet park, but Little Camera was not there.

"Oh, Little Camera," lamented Mom. "What ever am I going to do? Now I have NO camera! I should have been more thankful for Little Camera."

She drearily made her way back home...disappointed that Little Camera was still missing. Dad encouraged her not to lose hope. Surely Little Camera would turn up somewhere. Mom went to bed determined to do her best to locate Little Camera in the morning.

The next day at breakfast, Mom gathered the kids together. "Guys...Mommy can't seem to find Little Camera. Have any of you seen it?"

They all shook their heads. No one knew where it was.

"Well...if you do happen to find it, will you please tell Mommy? Otherwise, I think I might have lost it at the park on Monday. That's the last time I remember seeing it."

"We'll look for it - and if we find it, we won't forget where it is so we can tell you," said Big Sister.

"Let's all pray that God will help us to find Little Camera," suggested Mom. So they bowed their heads and prayed together.

On a whim, Mom tried calling the Park District Office.

"I have a strange question," she began. "I was at Picnic Park on Monday and think that I may have left my Little Camera there. Would there be any chance that someone might have found it...and if they did, where would I call to find out?"

"Well, Ma'am, what kind of camera did you lose?" questioned Park District Office Employee.

"It was a Canon PowerShot A85."

"We do have a Canon PowerShot A85 here...and it was found at Picnic Park on Monday," replied Park District Office Employee.

"You're kidding me! That is SO great! I can't believe it!" exclaimed Mom. "I will be there to pick it up today."

Mom called the kids together to tell them the good news...but she couldn't stop crying.

"What's wrong, Mommy? What's wrong?" asked Big Sister.

"It's OK...everything is OK. God answered our prayers to find Little Camera. Someone found it at Picnic Park and turned it in to the Park District Office!"


The moral(s)of the story:
Be thankful for your Little Camera. You never know when you might not have it any longer.

If you ever find a little camera (or a big camera, or a wallet, or a purse, or a diamond-encrusted tiara, or anything that belongs to someone else), please turn it in. You'll make that missing item's family very happy - even if they cry when they find it.