The enticement of 36 sweepstakes being offered in the current issue of a women’s magazine prompted my purchase in the Spring of 2006. Surely with so many opportunities being offered I could win something! Later that evening I relaxed with a cup of fresh coffee to read my magazine and enter the sweepstakes. I was majorly disappointed when I discovered in the details that I could only enter three. I read the details carefully. There was the grand prize of cash, an expensive vacation destination, and a wide assortment of varied other prizes. To increase my chances of winning, I chose to enter two lesser sweepstakes along with the cash grand prize. One of the giveaways was a sound machine from “The Sharper Image”, valued at $200, with 50 recorded sounds and a remote control. This was something I had considered buying previously but had never followed through. Several months passed, and the sweepstakes faded out of my consciousness. I was now communicating through a question and answer forum with a user named “Benny”, aka Scott, and that interaction was preeminent in my mind and free time.

I noticed a large cardboard box outside on my balcony one day after work. I was somewhat alarmed as I lived upstairs and the only access to the balcony was through my apartment. The complex had high ceilings and the balconies were covered and deep. I had received no notice from the manager of a package delivery. I unlocked my patio door to retrieve the box and I was even more puzzled. There was one single label with a large barcode but no company name. There was no return address and my name was not on the label. I had not ordered anything and believed the package was delivered to me in error. I contacted the office the next day and the leasing manager explained that sometimes the delivery personnel are able to reach a balcony and leave a package from the outside. My balcony was at least 10 feet from the ground, which sloped downward behind my apartment, and I could not imagine a tool that would allow them to position a box on the balcony over the railing without throwing it. The box was situated next to my patio door, so I doubted it had been tossed.

I brought it into the living room and left it untouched for several days. I finally decided the only way I could figure this out was to open it. I had hesitated to open the box because I did not believe it was mine. The box was a large rectangle, about 24 inches long. Inside this large package was one small box. There was no shipping form, no letter, no paper of any kind—only some air-puffed packing material. My mouth fell open in astonishment as I saw “The Sharper Image” name on the small box. I opened it and inside was a brand new sound machine with a remote control and power cord. Wow !!! Apparently I had won this prize, though I had received no notification from the magazine or a fulfillment center. My contact info including email address had been provided when I entered each of the three sweepstakes, but no communication had been sent about this prize. I was delighted and spent the next hour or so listening to every sound, all 50 choices, and even read the instruction pamphlet packed inside, still in excited awe.

The sound machine traveled with me to Goshen, Indiana, and Scott said it was the best thing I had brought from the South. He had also considered buying one but had not followed through either. He set it up on the nightstand on his side of the bed and turned it on every night before bedtime. It was a simple pleasure to share the enjoyment of this prize with the man I loved.

The day he moved to heaven the sound machine was playing our favorite sound, the thunderstorm. The ceiling fan was on as well, as usual. I was awakened in the early morning hours by an angel, or perhaps one last kiss from Scott, and was immediately aware of profound silence in spite of the sound machine and the steady hum of the ceiling fan. It was the sound of emptiness, a life gone. Scott had left this earth.

Following Scott’s departure, the sound machine was packed away and eventually moved to East Tennessee. I repacked it in July 2016 and just recently removed it from the box and placed in on the nightstand next to the bed.

As I listened to the familiar thunderstorm recording, I remembered. And as I remembered, I thanked God once again for His blessings, His presence, and His love.