Reader and blogger “R.T.” of Rayne Today writes:

I read your blog regularly, enjoy your posts immensely. But your post, “Missing,” [Ed.: April 2.], made me take pause.

As the mother of a son I can tell you this: were my son to be mugged and make it through with only relatively minor injuries and the loss of a couple religious medals, I would thank God for the exchange. I would give a basketful of medals and more if it meant my son was still whole, still had his faculties.

Let the medals go along with any guilt. There was nothing to be done about it. The mugging means something in the grand scheme, but it should not mean guilt to you.

Perhaps a different perspective is called for; maybe those medals protected you from further harm?

Rayne is right, of course, and it helps to have a new and constructive perspective on the situation.

Meanwhile, good news!

While doing what I hope is the last of the unpacking I came across a few boxes that contain the lesser lights of what is truly an insane (in size) book collection, and what did I find but my long-lost copy of When She Was Bad: The Story of Bess, Hortense, Sukhreet, and Nancy, by Shana Alexander, a book I’ve mentioned here several times.

I can’t believe it. I’m very pleased.