Own Backyard

So the other night after my niece's Christmas play...me and the parental units went to Long John Silver's. (that in itself is another entry.) Anyway, the main dining room was closed so we had to go through drive through...they were paying but we were in seperate cars. Well my parents had about 10 coupons and it took them awhile to decide what they wanted. (If you know Betty and Phil then you have a clear visual.) Well after they order my father gets out of the car and brings me the coupons. Well then he needs another coupoun so he comes back to my car and I give him the coupons that were left. ( A sheet of paper full of coupons.) Well he gets in the car and then gets back out of the car...but this time he is looking on the ground for the "coupon" that I gave him. He is searching and searching. (Mind you this is going on while we are still in the drive-thru lane with 4 min until closing.) He gets back in his car and the light comes on as he and my mother begin searching frantically for this little piece of paper. Well it occurs to me...because I am removed from the chaos of the situation, that he did not tear the coupon when I gave him the sheet of paper...therefore what he needed he did not lose to begin with. So I call him on my cell phone (it was cold and and I did not want to get out of the car.) I told him that he had not torn the coupon off of the sheet yet. And he realized that he had been holding the sheet of paper the entire time. Even during his search...he already had what he needed. Much like Dorothy when she was in OZ. She was able to go home anytime she wanted...but she did not realize it. And when she returned to the place that she had tried to escape she realized that all she had ever really wanted was in her own backyard. The Israelites were so close to their promise land...but they began to panic and disobey and seek other gods, and as a result their journey took a lot longer than it needed to. Much like my own life. Things that I have wanted and wanted have sometimes been right in my grasp. But I didn't realize it until either I desperately needed it or I didn't have it anymore. So now when I begin to truly desire or ask for something, I check my "backyard" first to see if it is already there.