A Furry Friend is Found!

I'm sure we all have one or more treasured possessions whose worth to us is far beyond its monetary value.  One of my most precious possessions is My Furry Hat.

My Furry Hat

The hat was purchased for me in 2003 by my husband, Martin, when we visited the wonderful Salamanca Market in Hobart (Tasmania), at Grizzly Hatters. It is a handsome hat, made of New Zealand possum fur* and sheepskin, but I was a reluctant recipient of this gift. However, Martin said it looked great on me and would be very useful, and I could tell he really wanted me to have it, so I relented - the hat was mine.

My furry hat and I, just after we became friends (on Mt Wellington, Tasmania)

I didn't realise at the time how precious this hat would become. However, from the moment My Furry Hat (MFH) and I were united in 'furhatimony', I have not ceased to be thankful for it, and for my darling husband, whose wisdom is far greater than mine (most of the time).

The winter weather in the Adelaide Hills is often cold, wet and windy, and I quickly realised MFH's wondrous way of keeping my head warm - we became inseparable. Over the years MFH did go AWOL at times, and I would cry, "I can't find MY FURRY HAT!" A concerted search would ensue, and whoever was with me at the time joined in the rescue operation until it was located - often under a car seat, left at a friend's home, at work, at my physiotherapist's rooms or in some other obscure spot.

However, on a fateful day in late May MFH went missing and could not be found. I searched everywhere I had been that day, and asked everyone I met, including the local police. I returned a couple of times to search the remote track where my neighbour and I had gone for a bushwalk that day.

After awhile and much grieving I came to terms with the loss of MFH, and two months passed. My neighbour returned from a long holiday in the bush, and we resumed our weekly walks along that remote track. With a long winter almost over and both of us in need of extra exercise, we decided to add another walk to our weekly regime, and last Tuesday set off with enthusiasm.

On our return journey we came across a walker we had met before on our walks. He greeted us with, "Have either of you lost a leather hat?"

 "Yes, I have!" I cried.

The gentleman told us he had picked up MFH on the track two months earlier, and thinking it might belong to one of us had kept it in his car. When he saw our cars parked in their usual place, he left the hat under a windscreen wiper of my friend's car, and came looking for us. How kind!

And what rejoicing followed MFH's return safe and sound to its unworthy owner! I feel a little like the widow in a story Jesus told.  She had lost something precious, and when it was found, she called together her friends and neighbors, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found what I lost!’"

So rejoice with me - My Furry Hat is found! 
 

Rejoice with me!

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* First imported from Australia in 1837, possums have become a real pest in New Zealand. To read more go to http://www.kcc.org.nz/possums/