A robe with a pocket

2:02 p.m. Today's project came up rather unexpectedly: I had to get a new cell phone!

On this very misty, darkish morning, I had put a robe, "wrapper" or "kimono" over my nightgown upon exiting my side of the bed. As I went to get the coffee and laundry started, I unhooked my cell phone from its charger, slipped it into my pocket, grabbed the laundry basket and headed downstairs. Steve was up also, and we began our morning devotions as usual.

After pouring my coffee and finishing my Bible reading, I got the bright idea to throw my robe into the wash, since the machine was still running. I really can't say why, because I don't wear it for more than a few minutes a day until my coffee warms me up--then I toss it over the banister and go on with my morning. (My nightgowns are solid cotton and look like dresses, so nothing daring there!)

This robe was a hand-me-down from the old Junior League thrift shop that I had bought years ago while working my volunteer shift. It was a gift for my daughter Heather, who loves bright colors and 40's looking glamour. I inherited it when she left home for Ventura to attend photography school, and particularly like it because it has a pocket!

You have to know that I have always demanded pockets in my pants, skirts, and dresses, despite my mom telling me in the 50's and 60's "ladies don't put their hands in their pockets!" (or whistle, or smoke on the street, cross their legs at the knee, polish your glasses on your skirt, wear white after Labor Day, etc., etc.,). My late mom was definitely old school in a million ways. My sister and I had hours of fun with her having tea with milk on rainy Saturdays, playing gin rummy, 21, and Old maid, and even walking with books on our heads to improve our posture. Summers were even better, because we could watch Mommy's "stories" with her! "As the World Turns" had been her favorite from its inception on radio in the 1940's. And the next summer when we tuned in , we hadn't missed a thing as far as the crawling plot line went!

But pockets--that was a tiny rebellion--I had to have them, and that is the source of this morning's downfall. And the lightness of the phone made its presence imperceptible as I cavalierly dropped it into the agitating machine.

We finished our devotions and were about to eat breakfast when I noticed my phone was missing. It was time to put the clothes in the dryer, but I already realized what had happened. Sure enough, there the poor thing lay at the bottom of the tub, a goner. A frequent saying of Mommy's immediately came to mind: "No sense crying over spilt milk!" I commandeered Steve's phone, with permission of course, and quickly texted all the kids to contact me at his number. Why, when it was only 8:30 a.m.? Because, predictably, they all texted back! Heidi even needed me to bring in her plant from the front porch. We Kruckenbergs are a hyper-communicative bunch!

Speedily cleaning up breakfast and getting dressed, I took off to the Verizon store, and exited $93 poorer with an identical phone. Good thing, because I had had a text from my daughter-in-law that our grandson is running a fever and might not be able to visit us over the weekend, and another one from a Christian sister concerning delivery of a meal to a family from our church.

I learned a lesson about being careful, but remained calm as my day was flipped over on its head. I made the unexpected errand work to my advantage. While in the area, I stopped by Babies 'R Us for gifts for my niece's baby shower, which I probably would have put off until an hour before going to the event Saturday. I then stopped by CVS pharmacy for a couple of items, and the Lord prompted me to give a sample handcream to a pharmacy tech who had really pushed through one of Steve's prescriptions for me last week, holding firm against our "Rx by mail" service.

We're dismayed by life's costly little disasters, but if we remember that God's plans always trump ours, and that every stumble is a reason to get back up and go on, we'll be much more content and learn to enjoy the adventure of living for the Lord!

Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."