I Really Don't Think the Pilgrims Stole Her Purse

I used to carry a purse, until I got tired of continually LOSING it and leaving it behind places, and, one day I decided that life would be less complicated WITHOUT a purse. So, two decades ago I got rid of my last purse and have never carried one since. I use pockets now. They are handy, because you can't lay them down and accidentally leave them behind! Unfortunately, my daughters have not yet subscribed to this philosophy...but, like their mother before them, they are forever leaving their purses behind. When Darcy was about Rayna's age, she thought she had left her purse in Tulsa, Oklahoma and only discovered this fact after we got back home to Peculiar, Missouri. We went through all sorts of hoops to track down the phone number of the little Mom and Pop Chinese restaurant she thought she had left it behind at, thinking we might be able to talk them into mailing it back to us. The people at the restaurant hadn't seen it, though. It was several days later when we discovered where she had actually left it was next door at her grandparents' house (which we had stopped at briefly before returning on home). Then this past Spring, Darcy left her purse (WITH her digital camera in it) at Silver Dollar City. Amazingly, it was turned in...camera, money, and season pass still in it..and she got it back the following weekend.

Well, two days ago, Grant took the kids to McDonald's for lunch while I was at work. Rayna was carrying her beloved Hannah Montana purse and managed to leave it behind. Grant went back to McDonald's later but it was gone and no one had turned it in. This evening Rayna was telling me all about it. She never sticks just to the facts. Typical of Rayna the story was full of all sorts of detail...even supposition on her part of what ultimately became of her purse. She told me, "The pilgrims probably took it." Startled, I said, "What?!" So, she walked me through it more slowly, "There were pilgrims sitting at the table next to us. I bet one of them saw my purse when I left it behind and took it!"

The light began to come on for me. We live in an area of the country that has large Mennonite and Amish populations! But, I hardly think the Mennonites at the next table took off with Rayna's lost purse!