Blessings in Surprise

by Georgia Williams

Every morning in February, after my neighbor told me his car (the same make and model as mine) was stolen, I jumped out of bed and ran to the window to see if my car was still in my driveway. About two weeks after his car was taken, my purse was stolen. After this happened, all I had the energy to do was go home, cancel my credit cards and checks, get into my bed, and cover my head. Everything was in my purse! On that day, I had gotten my tax return portfolio and my daughter’s portfolio from my accountant. Both of them were in my purse.

The next day, I went to the bank to get a replacement debit card, made a police report at the local station, and then went out into the world and replaced everything I could replace with money—makeup, a makeup bag, my iPod, wallet, purse, and checkbook holder. The only thing I didn’t replace was my digital camera. I couldn’t find what I wanted, and I honestly didn’t know enough about them to buy one just based on the recommendation of a salesperson.

I am quite a talker, but I only told my mother, my cousin, my daughter, and one of my friends about what happened to me. Before I told each person, I prefaced the story with, “I am going to tell you about something that happened, but I don’t want you to say anything to me because I refuse to worry.” I didn’t tell my friends, as I would have in the past when even the slightest mishap occurred, because I knew they would say things to make me worry. And I refused to be drawn into negativity. As I was replacing my things, I kept thinking how lucky I was to have the funds and time to make the purchases. I remembered there was a time when I would not have been able to do anything except borrow a purse and wait to replace my things little by little.

After work the next business day, I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to replace my license and registration. Again, I thanked God that I had a car to drive myself to the office and that the lines weren’t long and brutal. After that, I started to tell myself I was going to get my things back. Every day, when my stomach was getting tight with thoughts of identity theft, I thanked God for giving me back my things, and I forced myself to think good thoughts so I wouldn’t worry. I fantasized about how incredible it would be to get back my things, daydreamed about possible scenarios, and visualized the looks on people’s faces when I told them the whole story.

Three weeks later, after a long, long day, I found myself driving home at about 9:30 PM. I called my home phone to check my messages. I rarely do this because I have a cell phone. Sometimes, I don’t check my home messages for days. There was a message from someone named Jennifer saying she had found some of my things. I called her and met with her immediately. She gave me a handful of personal items—insurance card, pictures, some store discount cards, roadside assistance card, half of my registration card, and a little inspirational prayer I’d kept in my wallet for years. I drove her to where she had found my things. All over the ground, I saw lipstick, mascara, gum, and other personal items. In a garbage can that had been put out for pick-up the next morning were the two sealed envelopes with the tax papers inside. I didn’t even have to dig through the garbage to reach them.

Now, here’s the crazy part. Jennifer had gone to the Salvation Army to drop off some clothes her son had outgrown. She could have gone on any day, at any time. She bumped into one of her friends on the way out. She took a different route home so she could walk with her friend. As they walked and talked, Jennifer saw all my things on the sidewalk and said, “Wow, someone got robbed, what a shame.” She continued walking and then saw a little folded-up piece of looseleaf paper and picked it up. It was a prayer I had handwritten years ago to remind myself to pray and had kept in my wallet for nine years. She read it and said, “I have to give her back her stuff.” She picked up everything that was salvageable, and though my license was not there, she found half of my registration card—the half with my name and half of my address on it. She called information and left a message for me.

Had she not called on that day, I wouldn’t have gotten my things back. Had she not left the message, the garbage would have been picked up the next morning while I was at work. Had I not checked my messages, I would have missed the window of opportunity. I’m convinced it was my positive thinking, gratitude in advance, the application of the Law of Attraction, and God’s supernatural mercy and grace that made a bad situation turn into many blessings.

These are the blessings I believe I received: After being robbed, I felt mad at the world and trusted no one. Jennifer restored my faith in humankind. I struggled with worrying, and as a result of forcing myself not to worry at a time when I normally would have been beside myself with grief, I received my final lesson about worrying (I’ve had some others). I could move on believing the Law of Attraction is real and employing it in conjunction with my faith in God and Jesus Christ. You see, it was God and the application of the Law of Attraction that brought my things back to me. It was my faith in God that moved her to pick up my things and return them to me. I had been struggling with how to combine the two in my mind—still thinking they were somewhat separate—still questioning many things. Now, I feel good within my soul with regard to my beliefs.

After this happened, I told everyone. I was testifying all around and seeing the expressions on faces, just as I had envisioned. I thought I had seen the end of the story, until one day, I was at my cousin’s house telling her about all that had happened. Her husband came down the steps with a digital camera in his hand. Without knowing anything about what had happened to me, he said, “I bought a new digital camera because I’m going to sell my baseball cards on eBay. You can have this one if you want it.”

I started to become very interested in this Law of Attraction, and as a result, my faith grew all around. I started to believe in the impossible. I started to expect good things. I started to pray for deeper understanding and expected to receive it.

In May, my mother told me that I had a cousin who was on a speaking tour in New York. She told me to call him so I could meet him. I teach high school English, and I am the co-advisor of the senior class, so between planning for the prom, graduation, and grading papers, I was overwhelmed. I didn’t call him. Finally, she told me she had invited him for dinner, and I had to call him to give him directions. I called and ended up having to pick him up that day. As soon as he got into the car, I loved him. He brought peace, warmth, and unconditional love. He is my third cousin. I never even knew he existed, but we are both named after my grandfather, his great-uncle. He is a traveling, nondenominational doctor of theology who has spoken in over eighty countries and has written a powerful book, Eternity Invading Time. I showed him The Secret, and he thought it was great. He said, “I’ve been preaching this for thirty years, but I call it faith.” That was enough for me. I had come full circle. It was the ultimate confirmation for me.

Since my exposure to the Law of Attraction, which ultimately strengthened my faith in God, I’ve changed many things in my life, and I have seen miracles. I took and passed the New York life insurance test with almost no effort. I was able to refinance—a miracle for a single woman with my income. Without the recovered tax papers, I would have missed the window of opportunity in which I had to get it done. Within about six weeks, I received over $11,000 in unexpected income. The money did not come from one place; it came from many places. For example, I used to work for the New York City Board of Education. They owed me money for nine years and finally paid. I took three classes during the summer which gave me credits above my master’s so I could qualify for a salary increase. For years, I’d wanted to work on credits above my master’s, but at first I could not afford it because I had to work extra to support my family. When the time came that I could take a class every now and then, I felt fear about being the oldest person in the class. Those fears have gone out the window. I even got “A’s” in all three classes!

I visited my cousin and his family in Texas and now have even more people to love. I started to read the Bible—something I had tried to do many times, but always gave up after the list of who begot whom. I have been able to inspire and be inspired by two women, a good friend and a close cousin, who are both battling and winning the fight against breast cancer. I’ve started to write poetry again, and this time my focus is positive, not trying to save the world or highlighting its social injustice, but shining light on its beauty and showing my gratitude for all that we have. I’m happy in a way I’ve never been. In the past, I thought I was happy, but compared to the peace I feel now, I know I am truly happy. I feel more in control, though I’ve been able to let go of so many things. I feel at peace for the first time in my life. And finally, I have always daydreamed about writing and being published. It is ironic that this is the topic that has made it possible.

Who would have ever thought that being robbed could turn into such a wonderful, life-changing experience!

Message: Don’t worry even when the worst seems to be occurring. Always think positive.

Georgia Williams has been a New York State high school English teacher for nineteen years. She was born in Toronto, Canada, to Jamaican parents. She enjoys writing poetry.