In the late 1990s a children’s fantasy movie, The Borrowers, was released.   

 I’m convinced they are real and live in our house. 

A few days ago, I reached for the broom I keep in the linen closet of the master bath, so I could sweep the floor after I dried my hair.

Gone.

I needed my kitchen scissors to open a bag of almonds.

Missing.

I looked in the drawer for the cheese slicer to serve some cheese and crackers with lunch.

Not there.

Useful items grow legs and disappear around here regularly.

A friend had been missing her reading glasses for several months. 

While she was visiting one day, Jon came out of his room with a pair of glasses on his head. 

She points to Jon and says to me, “Hey, those look familiar, are they yours?”

“No,” I reply, “they’re not mine. I don’t know where they came from.”

Surprise, surprise! They were hers.

I find random items in Jon’s room all the time:  the wooden dowel handle that screws into the toilet bowl plunger, bills that need to be paid,  blank checks from our checkbook, a makeup brush that goes with my blush, the manual for the car from the glove box, Mike’s neckties from our closet and various kitchen utensils, to name just a few.

Recently I invited some mom’s and their kids over for a swim day in our pool. There were keys, sunglasses, phones and open tote bags full of things scattered around everywhere. 

Jon decided to help himself to two pair of kids flip flops that weren’t any bigger than his hand. It’s not like they would fit him and he’s always hated that thingy that goes between the toes. 

Who knows what goes on in that noggin of his? 

During David’s high school graduation, each graduate was encouraged to write a one-line acknowledgement to their parent(s), family or friends which was placed in a PowerPoint presentation and projected on several large screens during part of the ceremony. 

Sweet sentiments scrolled across the screen accompanied by the student’s name who penned them:

“Thanks Mom and Dad for all your support,” 

“I love you Grandma, you’re the best,” 

“Couldn’t have made it through without you, Friend.” 

“God bless you Teacher, for all you did for me.”

The crowd ooo-ed and awww-ed as we watched the quotes marquee across the screen and waited for the one meant for us. 

 Finally David’s popped onto the screen.

“It’s in Jon’s room!” was all it read, in a big, bold font.

As the crowd mumbled in bewilderment all around us, we burst into fits of laughter. 

For all the years David couldn’t find the essay he just wrote, homework and test papers, notebooks, pencils, pens, assignment books and algebra calculators, the answer to the question…

“OK, where is my________?”

…was always, “Go look in Jon’s room.”

The answer to that question has never changed.

If you come for a visit and are missing a few things when you return home, we know the first place to look.

By the way, I found the stick to my broom…guess where…? 

Jon’s room.

And the broom itself… behind the recliner in our bedroom.

Like I said…who knows?