I took my mother to brunch Sunday. As usual, we went to the same restaurant and got a booth on the upper level. I doffed my leather jacket and then my scarf and shoved them against the low wall at the inside of the booth seat.

We had our repast, where I sit with Mom and drink coffee for twenty minutes before I get in the line and load a plate for her. Then I go back and get my own food. Afterward we have more coffee, kibbutz with people and waiters, before I take her out to my car and back to her senior center.

It wasn't until mid afternoon that I realized I had left the place without my scarf.

I called the headwaitress and asked about the item. They have a lost and found box. She looked and came back on the phone.

"I couldn't find it, Jon."

Later that evening I drove there and checked the booth. I thought that maybe it had fallen on the floor beneath the table. It was not there.

On Monday I recalled the scarf. It came with a matching wool cap. Both were black with dark gray trim. I always wore them when I go out on the front porch to smoke or get a fresh air break.

I bought the cap and scarf on a trip to Europe. It wasn't winter, so the price was decent. They served me well for years. I also recalled how one of my cats liked to cuddle on the scarf when I would leave it on a table. I wondered if whoever found it would sneeze at the cat hair that would have become embedded in the wool.

Tuesday morning I dug out an old Cleveland Browns scarf, long and warm wool. It had faded from the original orange and brown. What used to be the orange was now a pinkish tan. It is longer than the black one and I can double snug it around my neck.

Wednesday I really missed the dark scarf when my mother noticed the replacement and stated that it didn't match my wool cap.

On Thursday I happened to be near the restaurant, so I stopped in for a coffee. While sitting at the bar one of the waitresses asked if I had ever found my scarf.

"No. I checked and couldn't find it."

"Go to the hostess station and look in the box behind the dais," she said.

I did. There were several scarfs, hats and gloves in the container. So was my scarf!

I celebrated by wearing it most of the day. When I got back to my house I doffed the coat and cap but kept the scarf draped over my shoulders.

It amazes me how precious some of our simple possessions become. I have lost or misplaced many things but it always feels so great when one of them comes back.