Three Boys and A Girl: Corrupted File

My heart was so full of

until a few hours ago.

I am working on something BIG!

Someday I'm going to tell you about it, but not today.

This BIG THING requires quite a bit of inspiration from our Heavenly Father. It also requires me to spend A LOT of time with the computer.

I've been working from the kitchen desktop ... staring at the wall.

I've refused to take over the laptop because I just don't have time to learn how to use the newest version of everything, plus my external hard drive is in my kitchen. It's my friend because it keeps my files

safe.

Well, the kitchen wall is ... dark and dreary so I finally gave in and became friends with the laptop.

I also pulled out another ... a different ... external hard drive. It's been hanging around in my electronic closet. I copied my files onto it and while I did, I knew we would never be friends ... I didn't trust it. Funny how first impressions are often SPOT ON!

Then I set up my home office in my favorite room of the house.

It has me gazing out the window at my neighbor's garden ... Ty Anderson's barns ... the mountains ... the high school ... and even the city park. It's a lovely view.

The sun light pours in through the big widows and I feel so peaceful there. It's much better than my kitchen wall.

From my desk I can see my make-shift "Command Center" ... full of ideas for my BIG project.

Yesterday, as I sat there, everything was lovely and peaceful.

My thoughts were easily melting through my fingertips, onto the laptop, and into the files I'd painstakingly created ... while being saved onto the NEW external hard drive.

I worked flawlessly for 6 hours ... typing and saving ... typing and saving ... typing and saving.

When I finally logged off, I smiled and nearly skipped out the door to meet the Lifeguard for dinner with our dear friends from Kansas City.

Around 10:00 we arrived home and I was anxious to share with the Lifeguard my inspirations of the day.

It was then the smile left me!

It was then the panic ensued!

It was then my heart pounded nearly right out of my chest!!

As I read the words ...

What?!

What did that say??

I had to have read it wrong!!

I rebooted the computer!

NOPE!

It was the same message as before ...

I frantically went to the desktop in the kitchen. Tell me I had saved some of it on there before I had moved locations and switched hard drives! There was a tiny bit.

I frantically searched online for instructions on how to recover files from this new hard drive ... my new enemy. Tell me I could get it back! A tiny bit was recovered.

However, most of it was

gone

just gone

completely erased.

I went to bed sad.

Very, very, very sad.

This morning I was awoken by someone whispering my ear,

"Honey ... are you going to come to work with me?"

It was the

Last night's plan had been for me to go with him, since I had some things I had to do in town. But I was still feeling defeated and not ready to face the day. So I told him no ... then flung my arms around his neck and sighed a sad sigh. He kissed me on the cheek. He knew I was mourning those lost files.

Eventually I let go of his neck and he slipped out the bedroom door.

Fifteen minutes later I heard the back door shut and I knew he was headed to work. I also knew he had been praying for those fifteen minutes. He does that in the morning. He prays for LOTS of people ... although I don't know who and I don't know why ... but I do know he usually sheds lots of tears. Those prayers are personal and confidential. I know this morning he had prayed for me and for my sad heart.

After the door shut, I couldn't seem to move. So there I stayed for a bit, just staring at the ceiling. As my eyes gazed Heavenward I said, right out loud,

"How can those files just disappear and be gone, like gone ...