The Christmas Gift

Traveling to Santa Barbara nearly every week is exhausting.

A Step in the Right Direction

For over ten years, the Fitbit app kept track of daily steps with striking precision. Competing with friends on the platform made exercise feel like a game — until Google acquired Fitbit and removed the social competition feature. Just like that, the motivation to move disappeared.

The Gift That Changed Everything

Then Christmas arrived, and Mike gave me an Apple Watch. The device is packed with features. During one walk, a accidental trip and fall prompted it to immediately ask whether an ambulance was needed. That single moment was enough to inspire a return to walking — because now, every step is being recorded.

 

The First Mistake

The generic band that came with my new watch was navy blue — and it had absolutely no style. It was plain, understated, and completely wrong for me. So when Mike asked what I wanted for Mother’s Day, I knew exactly what to show him: a brochure from Brighton, opened to a gorgeous two-toned band in gold and silver. The moment I saw it, I thought — this was made for me.

The band was supposed to be easily adjustable, held together by snap-on parts. That sounded convenient — until it wasn’t. The pieces came apart far too easily, and more than once I watched several of them scatter across the floor. It may sound strange to say I stopped trusting an inanimate object, but I did. I was genuinely afraid the watch would just fall off my wrist. Sometimes it took me more than five minutes of fiddling before I could hear that reassuring click. I’d had enough. I told Mike I was returning the watchband.

The Football Game

Lucas had a football game the day before leaving for Santa Barbara. That morning, the watch went on — and refused to click shut. Frustrating, but wearable. When Sonja asked that Jacob be picked up and brought to the game, the request was honored. Honestly, whether the ride home came with Sonja or with Mike — that part is gone from memory.

The Missing Watch

When traveling to Santa Barbara, the alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. to beat Los Angeles traffic. Plenty of times that early-bird strategy works — but just as often, the L.A. freeways win anyway. That particular morning was no different. The house was a blur of movement, lists being checked, bags being confirmed.

The Apple Watch charger and phone charger always make the trip — that much is non-negotiable. But that morning, the watch was nowhere to be found. Going to bed after eleven doesn’t help. Tired enough to forget charging it, forget where it landed, forget everything. The best guess, once the watch turned up missing, was that it had been set down somewhere and forgotten. The trip left without it. But somewhere in the back of the mind, a quiet thought kept circling: it’s probably under the bed, or tucked in some obscure corner. It’ll turn up when we get back.

The Infamous Ping

The watch was nowhere to be found. When I described the whole situation to our Pilates instructor, Dori, she didn’t miss a beat: “You know you can track your watch on your phone.” That was exactly the news I needed. Sure enough, when I got home and pulled up the app — there it was. The elusive watch had been found.

There was just one problem. It had last pinged at the neighbors’ house next door to Sonja’s. I called Sonja immediately and told her that her neighbors had my watch and that I was going over to get it. Her response was swift: “Mom, I’m at work — please don’t do that. Have Russ go over after work.” But that wasn’t going to stop me. I was getting to the bottom of this on my own.

Detective Lynda

Without a second thought — or a prayer — I went straight to the address. I had to knock pretty hard before a woman and a cherub-faced young man finally came to the door. I got right to the point: “Excuse me, but I lost my watch, and my phone is showing that it’s pinging here.”

The woman spoke broken English, and every time she tried to say something, her son told her to be quiet. At one point, I switched to Spanish and gently asked the son to let his mother speak. This went on for several minutes. I believed the woman — she seemed kind and genuine — but her son’s behavior was unsettling. Why did he keep silencing her? After going back and forth long enough, I told them I was going to get the police involved.

Orange Police Department

I know that number by heart — not because I’m a frequent caller, but because it happens to be an easy one. The officers instructed me to wait at Sonja’s house. I was a little surprised when two police cars showed up for what I’d considered a straightforward matter. I showed the officers my phone as proof that the watch had last pinged near the neighbors’ home. That’s when one of the officers said it: the ping could be within a radius of twenty feet.

That stopped me cold. My novice detective work had completely overlooked the fact that twenty feet could mean an entirely different house. Suddenly I felt terrible.

And I wasn’t the only one upset. Sonja didn’t hold back: “You know, Mom — we live here. You should have let Russ handle it.” My grandson piled on: “Grandma, I walk to school and I see that kid every day. Why did you do that?” Russ was too frustrated to say much of anything. Mike, ever the steady one, told me not to worry — he’d buy me a new watch, since it helps me walk and might even keep me from falling.

In hindsight, calling the police was completely unnecessary.

The New Watch

This time, I’m keeping the plain watchband — no complaints.

The Apple Store set everything up on the new watch, and all was well…until I got the text message.

Found

Russ rarely texts me, so when my phone buzzed with a notification, I was at Mass. I glanced at it quickly but didn’t really look until afterward.

Oh my gosh. There it was — my watch, with the fancy watchband.

Thou Shalt Not Judge

Oh no. Those poor people I had accused.

I wasn’t sure what to do. I consulted several people in my inner circle for advice, but they all said the same thing: leave it alone. My heart, however, was telling me something entirely different. After praying, the answer came clearly: You must remove all doubt from anyone in that household. I had to go back and tell them the truth — a real apology, not just a quiet one to myself.

Facing the Music

The following day, I bought a beautiful orchid plant and brought it to the family I had wronged. The woman was gracious beyond what I deserved — warm and kind as I apologized and owned what I had done. Sometimes humble pie has the sweetest aftertaste.

Matthew 7:1-2

“Do not judge, so that you in turn may not be judged. For you will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the measure that you use for others will be used to measure you.”

My Prayer

Dear Lord, forgive me for being so quick to judge others. Thank You for always teaching us life-learning lessons. Lord, I love serving You. Amen.