Stolen Checks and Stupidity

This story starts with a few stolen checks but ends with simple stupidity. I had to take my son to a doctor’s appointment today and afterwards was hoping to pay for and pick up the new registration for my car. I took my checkbook then and tossed it into my car’s glove box before going to the doctors. We were running a little late so my son and I hurried into the office without locking up the car. The appointment went well and I headed off next to pay for the new car registration. It was only there that I saw that my last few checks had been stolen. I looked at the check register and the last one I had written was four short of the end of the booklet. I raced out of the building and rushed to the bank in order to put a stop payment on my stolen checks.

I was angry more at myself than at the person who had taken my checks. I was also a bit sad because my faith in humanity had been shaken a little. I got to the bank in record time and hurried in. I told the teller what had happened and she checked to see if any of the checks had been used. To the surprise of us both she found that the checks had been cashed days earlier and for the exact amount of my last four bills. It was then that I flipped the check register page back and saw that I had written down a check ending in 97 as a 94. After that mistake had followed mistake down the next page. No checks had been stolen. I had just stupidly written the wrong numbers in the register and also failed to notice that it was I who had ripped out the last check in the booklet. I laughed at myself and thanked the teller for her help. My brain felt old and I felt foolish, but I thanked God that my faith in humanity had been restored.

I will take a little humbling any day to keep my faith in humanity going strong. In this crazy, modern society it is easy to forget that this world is full of good, caring, and loving people. We are all God’s Children. May we always see His light shining in each other.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

[ by: Joseph J. Mazzella Copyright © 2010 (joecool@wirefire.com) -- submitted by: Joseph Mazzella ]