Losing My Wallet Helped Me Find My Way

By Mark Johnson, as told to Mallory Herrmann

The first time I read Daily Word, it was all because of a lost wallet. I’d left my billfold behind at a roadside fruit stand while I was on the way home from a trip to Florida with my wife in 1996. By the time I realized I didn’t have it, it was too late to turn around and retrieve it. And there was no way to get in touch with the place where I’d left it. The best option I had was to simply buy a new wallet and replace its contents.

But much to my surprise, a few months later, I received a package in the mail containing my old wallet (and all its original contents).

It was sent to me by a good samaritan who had spotted it at that little fruit stand and had taken it upon himself to get it back to me—after briefly forgetting about it himself once he’d made it home. He included a kind note with the wallet, along with a copy of a little magazine called Daily Word.

I had never heard of Unity, and I wasn’t much of a reader. But even so, the comfort of feeling like I wasn’t facing my days alone gave me a peace that I had been looking for. The ritual of a daily message reminded me that Yes, life is all still good, even when I am feeling restless or worried about the world. It wasn’t long before the daily devotions became part of my morning routine and I called Unity to get my own subscription.

“Particularly in times like these, when there is so much fear and anxiety in the world, it helps to remember that we can make it easy on ourselves—and just love.”

Now, more than two decades later, the messages are still giving me a sense that God is with me through each day. I still read them each morning to get grounded before I start my day, and I revisit the day’s message each evening to reflect on my day before I go to bed.

Particularly in times like these, when there is so much fear and anxiety in the world, it helps to remember that we can make it easy on ourselves—and just love. Life is not always pleasant, and it is not always easy. We don’t always understand why something happens, but we can have faith that there’s always a divine plan behind it. We can ask ourselves how we want to act toward one another and share messages of hope and spirit, no matter what else is going on. I love sharing Daily Word with friends and family as well as with acquaintances; I always know someone who can use it.

2021 is a year of big anniversaries for me.

I’m celebrating my 70th birthday and 50 years since the diving accident that paralyzed me from the neck down. It has also been 25 years since I began reading Daily Word and 10 years since I decided to visit Unity Village. The daily devotionals had become such an important part of my spiritual journey that I’d finally decided to see where this little magazine that meant so much to me was published. So in 2011, I made the trip from my home just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, to Unity Village, Missouri, where I was able to see the beautiful campus and spend time meditating and appreciating the natural beauty there.

I’m looking forward to planning a return trip soon, and in the meantime, I’m going to keep returning to Daily Word, day after day.

Mark Johnson worked for more than three decades as the director of advocacy for the Shepherd Center rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, before his retirement in 2019. Johnson holds a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He started the Americans with Disabilities Act Legacy Project. He is also a cofounder of ADAPT, a grassroots disability rights network. He’s the recipient of numerous awards including the Henry B. Betts and Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards.

This article appeared in Unity Magazine®.