Holly is missing! JustBob was shocked to discover she was not in her garage stall on Monday when he returned to work. Holly must have disappeared over the weekend. She is big, yellow, has four black wheels and a really big snout. If you see her, please call us. JustBob really misses his friend.
Yes, Holly is also known as the JustBobCat and was one of the hardest working parts of our team. She helped JustBob do a lot of his outside work all year long, moving snow, dirt, gravel, shrubs, tree trunks and firewood, whatever and wherever JustBob needed stuff moved.
Since it seems unlikely Holly ran away, the police were notified to begin the search. Unfortunately, the likelihood she will be found and returned safe is very slim. If that wasn’t bad enough, Holly wasn’t the only one missing. Several other pieces of equipment and three full 5-gallon gas cans also disappeared from the garage.
A loss like this stings on a couple of different levels. First, it is a significant financial loss. Yes, insurance may help but replacement cost is likely to be higher than any coverage benefit. There is never a good time for such a loss, but this hits particularly hard as we continue to work to overcome the financial impact of Covid. Second, there is the inconvenience of being without such a vital member of our team. Eventually, the missing property will be replaced, but that won’t happen immediately. It means some work that needs to be done may not get done this fall as planned. Third, this stings because it violated our trust. This was not an accident and it was not random. Whoever took Holly and her friends knew what we had, knew where to find it and knew when to strike.
We trust God did not arrange this event just to test our resolve or our faith. Loss, disappointment, pain are all part of our reality, just as much as the “good” things that happen in our daily lives. Certainly, how we deal with the “bad” things are as important as how we deal with the “good” things. Blessed Solanus Casey wrote, “God knows best, and, while we’ll still hope for a favorable surprise, we can hardly do better than not only being resigned to whatever God permits but even beforehand to thank Him for His mercifully loving designs.”
For all that Holly and her friends did for us over the years, and for whatever this loss is meant to teach us or bring us, we say Deo Gratias – ahead of time.