Last Thursday, Ray and I took the Amtrak train into LA from Ventura to work at the church, clearing out and cleaning the kitchen. The caterer, Scott, who had been renting the kitchen, fell on hard times due to a literal fall, a trip to the hospital, and the contraction of a life-threatening infection while there. That was close to two years ago, and the kitchen has been filled with his food, appliances, pots and pans ever since. That is, until last Thursday, when Ray and I walked in as Phase 1 of the pack-up and clean-up team, to store Scott’s kitchenware, toss away old food, and tackle two years of dust and dirt clinging to grease-covered pans. We were enthusiastic. There was a lot to do, but we were prepared with work clothes and the will to finally tackle a long-overdue job.

THEN, I glanced in my purse and noted that my cell phone was not in its usual spot. This was followed by searching, head-scratching, and the ultimate realization that I must have dropped my phone while on the train. That conclusion was confirmed when I opened my laptop, which I had luckily brought, and went to the Find My Phone app. Sure enough, my phone was chugging down the Amtrak line with all the other travelers headed to San Diego.

Luckily, I am not the first person who has lost something on the train, and there was a spot online where I could report my loss. There was also a phone number to call, which I did, and a train person in San Juan Capistrano boarded the southbound train and checked. He, however, didn’t find my phone. The good news is that once the train was in San Diego and going through a thorough cleaning, the folks there did find it. They left a message on my phone, which I didn’t know about until I received a text from a student of mine who said, “Len, when I tried calling you, it went straight to voicemail and a man with a deep voice was saying he had found your phone. He left a number you can call.”

The long and short of it is that the box with my phone arrived today. All is intact except my credit cards, which they told us were shredded per Amtrak protocol. That was fine since I’d already cancelled them,

My old but trusty phone is now recharging as I type. I am very happy to have it back with all my recent photos, messages, and voicemails intact. This experience gives me yet another reason to sing the praises of Amtrak. They couldn’t have been nicer, more cooperative, or more efficient in returning my phone to me.

Now I just have to remember to put my phone in its designated spot in my purse whenever I’m on the train.

Oh, and yes, Ray and I cleaned the church kitchen on Thursday and even more thoroughly on Sunday afternoon with a small group of intrepid volunteers. We are now ready to celebrate the resurrection on Easter in more ways than one!