I didn’t connect the dots until much later, but in retrospect that morning happened to be the same morning our lawn mower mysteriously dis-appeared from the front lawn. It was the first of what would become dozens of unexplained robberies that began to hap-pen all over town. Of course, I didn’t notice it was missing because I was too busy trying to get everyone showered and brushed and break-fasted and out the door on time. It didn’t help that one of the buttons from my suit jacket popped off and I had to sew it back on. Janice was busy getting herself ready while fixing Ruth’s hair and helping Sarah change her dress for the second time after spilling milk on the first one and getting jelly on the second, while Jonny dawdled in the bathroom. I refused to preach that morning with a missing button, and besides, it was my favorite brown suit, with the matching brown vest and the brown pants and my brown tie and freshly pressed white cotton shirt and the brown shoes I had so care-fully polished the night before.
