The Necklace.

“Are you there, God? It’s me.”  Savannah was now standing in front of the little cabinet next to her bed. She was wishing for a miracle but when she opened it, it was still empty.

She had been trying to remember everything she had been taught about talking to the Lord.  She was so upset but she figured this was as good a time as any. The preacher had said the Lord was everywhere and knew everything.  He was watching over her and he knew her every move and thought.   

“Lord, you know that my grandmother gave me that necklace.” Savannah said as she wiped the tears that had started flowing down her face.   

Her great great grandmother had given the necklace to her Nana on her 13th birthday and her Nana had given it to her.  There was no way she could go home without it.  She could not bear to see the look of disappointment in her grandmother's eyes. She was expected to pass it down to her oldest granddaughter someday when that girl turned 13.

She should have never taken it off, she thought.  She had put it in the little cabinet right beside her cot.  Everyone had a little cabinet to lock their personal belongings in.  She must have forgotten to lock it and someone had stolen her necklace because it has disappeared. 

There had been a big todo when Savannah said she was taking the necklace with her to camp.  Her mom suggested that she leave it home where it would be safe.  She had wanted to show them all that she was responsible enough to keep up with her own possessions.  Now look at what had happened, her mother had been right as usual.

Savannah thought to herself, “There were four girls assigned to each room and about 20 rooms in the camp dormitory, 79 possible thieves.”  

She has asked all the girls in her room and they all swore up and down they had not taken it.  They had even let her search their personal belongings just to reassure her it wasn’t one of them.  

She had gone to the camp counselors who were in charge of supervising the girls and told them what had happened. They asked her if she had locked her cabinet and when Savannah admitted that she had accidentally forgotten, they shook their heads and gave her a shrug like “Well, what did you expect?”

She wanted to say she expected with all the religious stuff they had them doing daily that everyone would behave like angels. Obviously somebody was not getting the message.  Stealing was one of those big sins, Savannah thought,  it came right after “Thou shall not lie.”

Savannah was the oldest granddaughter.  Her Nana had 8 granddaughters and although her Nana would never admit it Savannah knew she was her favorite.

She was feeling desperate  as she walked across the campground.  It was close to dinner time and all the girls were getting washed up and ready.  There was no one paying her any attention as she walked in the opposite direction from the mess hall.

She got to the small chapel and went inside.  It was so quiet in there that she felt like she needed to walk gently, almost on her tiptoes, as she approached the altar.

She knelt before the altar and she began to pray.

“Dear Lord, this is Savannah.  I know I have never really spoken to you before Lord.  It isn’t that I didn’t believe, it's that up until now I wasn’t really sure how and didn’t need to bother you.  

First, I need to say Thank you for all the blessings you have given me.  I am old enough now to realize just how blessed I am.  I have my mother and father and my brothers and they all love me.  I have my grandparents and lots of friends. I have never been hungry or cold or abused.  

I know you have a lot on your plate and I was careless in not locking my cabinet but Lord if you could just spare a few minutes and help me to get the necklace back I will try to be the best young lady I can be. I'll be more of a help to my mom and I’ll stop talking back to my dad and I will even try to be nicer to my younger brothers, but Lord they do try my patience at times.

It is not just for me I want it back but my grandmother will be heartbroken. She thinks the world of me and she thought I was ready to handle such a big responsibility.  This necklace is a big deal in our family.  It has been in our family for five generations.

Lord I know this is a lot to ask but when you think of it, it is really a very small miracle.  I  mean compared to all the big ones you have done. This one Lord would be just for me.

Well, thank you Lord for listening and no matter what happens I want you to know I still believe in you and always will.” 

Savannah got up and walked quietly out of the chapel.  She didn’t go to her dorm to get ready for dinner.  She walked almost as if she was in a trance to Room Number #7.  She entered the room on the left and went straight to Cot # 4 and the cabinet assigned to it. She bent and opened the cabinet and there was her necklace. 

Savannah put her necklace on and she kneeled down and said,  “Thank you, Lord”.

When she left the dorm she didn’t stop to see whose room she was in and she didn’t even feel the need to go to the camp counselors to let them know she had gotten her necklace back and to tell on the thief.  

You see it didn’t really matter. She knew that this was between her and the Lord and her faith. It was something she would carry for the rest of her life. .