Puppy Prayer

(Warning: this got to be kind of a long story as I typed it. It will probably be boring for you to read, but I wanted to record this for posterity!!)

Makenna has been a little obsessed with some Littlest Pet Shop creatures that she acquired for her birthday. She's been particularly attached to a little puppy and likes to take it everywhere with her. On Saturday we made a quick trip to Walmart and we warned her that she probably shouldn't take her puppy in the store. We didn't know she had put it in her pocket till we saw her puppy prancing on the store shelves. Well, I bet you can guess what happened. Yep - we got to the car and Makenna said, "Oh no! My puppy!" So she and I went back in and retraced our steps (which were few), but no puppy was in sight. When we got to the car, Kiera began crying about the lost little puppy but Makenna's face was like stone. Quentin promised the girls that he would come back later and look for it. When we got home, I spied Kiera saying a sweet little prayer that Heavenly Father would be with the little puppy and comfort it and keep it safe. She also asked that we might be able to find it. This was around 2:00 and our afternoon and evening were jam-packed with things to do and places to go. Finally around 9:30 (after our ward swimming party), Quentin pulled into Walmart's parking lot and said he'd look for the puppy. While he was in the store, the girls and I offered a little prayer. I know it might seem silly - first of all, the puppy is replaceable, and second of all, this should teach Makenna a lesson, right? But Makenna simply said, "Heavenly Father, I'm sad about my puppy. Please help." How simple and sweet. When Quentin got to the car, he wordlessly started the car then quietly asked, "Well, should we go home?" The girls nodded with tears in their eyes. Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out the little puppy. Makenna's eyes were huge as she gasped and reached for the puppy. She pulled it close to her face, closed her eyes and just sobbed. Foolishly, I figured that maybe Quentin bought another puppy (isn't that what parents do to protect their children?), but no - these girls' humble prayers were answered. Quentin went in the store and began going down every aisle. Finally he decided to check the checkout line we were in. A different cashier was there, but he asked her if she had seen it. She wasn't sure, but she said she had found something earlier and turned it into customer service - not to the lost and found department, but it was put in a basket to be returned to the selling floor. It could be anywhere! But Quentin went to the customer service area and began looking through the baskets. The first one he went through, he saw the puppy toward the bottom corner! It's kind of a silly story, but I'm sure the girls will look back at this event throughout their lives and remember that Heavenly Father hears His children's prayers. Even if things don't always turn out how WE would have it, He still hears us and loves us and answers us.