Was it “meant to be”?

Could it be that each winner got the prize that was just right for them?

It seemed to me that happened in the contest we just finished - to connect the Minnesota Vikings team member with his right nickname.

I couldn’t tell which one of the prizes was worth first place so I decided to let each winner pick one. First place got first choice, etc.

The Vikings donated four different prizes. I donated one. So five winners.

When I went to pick up the prizes from the Vikings head office, I noticed one was a team cookbook. They gave an extra one for me to keep.

And I saw...

As I looked over the prizes I realized I would have liked any of them. But I fell in love with the tiny lapel pin memorializing the 50 Years the team had been an NFL franchise.

I was trying to figure out a way to get a similar pin for myself when someone suggested I just take it. No one would know.

That’s probably true. But I remember the words from a favorite movie, City Slickers. The quote goes something like this. The “cowboy”, Billy Crystal, is asked a philosophical question: If you could cheat on your wife and no one would ever know, would you do it? And Crystal answered: No, because I would know.

So besides not taking the lapel pin from the prizes, (because I would know), I decided to add the extra cookbook I had been given so there would be six choices for the five winners.

And they chose...

The first place winner came to the Beacon to pick out his prize and chose the 50 Seasons of Vikings book. Then the second place winner sent his wife who chose the Vikings 2010 team book.

The little lapel pin hadn’t been chosen. But it was way too soon for me to even think that it might be left for me.

The third place winner came and picked out the cookbook. Since I had also put in my copy of the cookbook, it was there when the fourth place winner chose it.

The fifth place winner picked the “Party by Rosie”, which they agreed to let me just get them a gift certificate from Econo Foods since we had run out of games to watch that fit our schedules!

Surprise!

So guess what prize was left since I had put my Vikings cookbook in the pot?

The little Vikings lapel pin!

It must have been meant for me! I was so excited. It was like finding a lost puppy!

I went to the Beacon to recover it and excitedly explained how every one had chosen their prize and this one was left over.

I had more errands to run so I clutched the slip listing the winners and their choices and hurried on. It wasn’t until later that I realized I didn’t have the little lapel pin. Somewhere it must have slipped out of my hand. It was gone.

I retraced my steps and asked the businesses if someone had turned in a little plastic bag with a Vikings lapel pin in it.

It just doesn’t seem possible that the little pin was saved for me through the whole contest... only to disappear when I held it in my hands.

I sure miss that little lost “puppy” - lapel pin.

Could this mean...

But this experience was kind of like the Vikings’ football season this year. The possibility of a championship was there... like the little team lapel pin... but not for long.

Like they say, (way too often if you’re a Vikings fan) - there’s always “next year”!

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