God Watches Over Me and My Dolls

God Watches Over Me and Mine is a more appropriate title for this post.  However, my dolls and I are the subjects at hand.

When packages are delivered to me by UPS, Fed Ex, and the United States Post Office, their drivers rarely ring my doorbell. Their common practice is to leave the packages on the front porch without even a minor effort to conceal them from passersby. I never know packages have been delivered unless I look out or see them as I exit.

Last week I purchased four dolls in three separate buy-it-now auctions from the same seller. The shipping of $18 for each auction was outrageous, but I wanted the dolls. After completing the first two auctions with my purchase, I emailed Seller to request combined shipping and informed that I was interested in the third auction, but only if combined shipping for all auctions was available.  She agreed. 

For quite some time, I had wanted a doll similar to one of the two vintage Robert Tonner little-girl dolls that I purchased. The other three dolls were the icing on the doll-buying cake.  Another Tonner little-girl doll dressed differently than the first was offered in a separate auction.  The final two, offered together as sisters, are duplicate Helen Kish dolls that I already own, but I wanted those, too.  Yes, I know, I am admittedly doll obsessed.

This past Monday, I had several packages to mail.  My plan to leave for the PO by 1:30 p.m. was foiled by something I had never experienced before:  eBay’s shipping service was down for maintenance in the middle of the day.  I could have paid for postage at the PO, but it is less expensive to purchase through eBay for items sold through their site.  So I waited.   In addition to the PO, I had two other stops to make before returning home around 5:00 p.m.

As I drove back home and approached my house, approximately two houses away, I noticed a heavy-set man running in the direction of my car at his full speed, clutching a large package underneath one arm.  I decelerated and through the driver’s window, stared him in the face for as long as I could before he continued to run as though his life depended on it, OR (heaven forbid, I thought) like he had stolen something.

Visibly and mentally shaken, I entered the house and asked my husband, who was in the front bedroom (his office), "Did you hear anyone on the front porch?" Of course he had not because he had headsets on listening to music. I quickly explained to him what I had seen and immediately went to my office to track my Tonner/Kish doll package online. Just as I had suspected, it had been delivered that day, but was nowhere in sight. I called UPS, who confirmed the package was delivered at 4:15 p.m. It had apparently sat on my front porch, probably visible from the street, for approximately 45 minutes before the culprit took it!

Lord have mercy, I thought. That’s $250 lost. 

UPS instructed me to contact the shipper to have a claim filed. In the process of doing that, still shaken, I thought: Why in the world would someone do something like this?

Seconds later, my husband entered my office and asked me to describe this person. I did.  He left… to go find him!

Oh Lord, my thoughts raced: Please don't let anything happen to him. It's not worth it. They are only dolls. I'll get over it.

Husband returned after not locating the perpetrator. Angry, he ranted about UPS's lackadaisical practice of leaving packages without knocking or ringing the doorbell.  He added, "I even saw two police cars coming on this street as I left!" I told him I was going to call UPS back and request that their drivers ring the doorbell with future deliveries.

Shortly after hanging up the phone with UPS to request the courtesy of a doorbell alert, the doorbell rang.

Husband peered through the peep hole as I stood a short distance away. He opened the door. I heard the male voice ask, "Is Debbie Garrett here?" I stepped into view and said, "I am Debbie Garrett," to the police officer, who simultaneously handed me my unopened package and said, "Someone took this off your porch. One of your neighbors called us."  An angel, I thought.  I thanked him and the other officer who stood at the bottom of the porch.

My briefly stolen, recovered package after opening and removing my beautiful dolls

Overjoyed, I had to fall down on my knees and humble myself before God in praise and thanks for watching over me and mine.

Later the same night, I asked my husband if there was one police car or two cars when the police were at our door.   I also wanted to know where they parked.   He answered, "One. The other car was probably carrying the thief to jail."  He also told me where across from our house the officers parked their car, which gives me an idea which neighbor deserves my personal thanks.

Husband asked, "What was in the package?" Four dolls, I replied. He laughed and said, "That fool would have been so mad.  He probably would have thrown those dolls away."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

God and his angels are always at work:  God delayed my departure from home that day in order for me to witness the culprit with my package. He allowed my angel of a neighbor to be at the right place to witness the criminal take my package. He instructed the neighbor to call 911 to report the witnessed crime. God placed the police officers in close proximity to find the thief and recover my package.   He allowed my husband to see the police cars of the officers who apprehended the thief and the ones who returned my package. 
 

dbg

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