It’s a familiar conversation…You know it’s there and you send someone to get it.
“It’s in the pantry…second row down and on your right!”
Only to be followed by…”Nope. It’s not in there–we don’t have any!”
So you walk over, open the pantry door and grab it–“What’s this?!”, you say!
“Oh, I didn’t see it”… is the response.
Whatever “it” is or wherever “it” may be– I’m sure you can recall similar conversations at your house, right? They can never “see it”—even though you are 100% certain where it is.
Finally, after my part in raising 7 kids–I got smart. When my youngest son, Daniel, was four, I decided to PURPOSELY create a different result. So I started calling Daniel the “finder of lost things”. First, I’d ask him to find me things I KNEW he could find–and every time he’d bring me something I’d say…”Oh man, you’re awesome–you’re the finder of lost things!”
Then anytime something was lost or anyone in the house was looking for something I’d say, “Daniel can find anything– he’s the finder of lost things.” And you know what– he can and does!
He just turned 13. A couple months ago we were in DC. Daniel had just gotten a brand new iPod Touch from the Apple Store that same day. We had spent the rest of the afternoon and evening driving around my favorite spots in Old Alexandria and stopping by a few of the monuments.