Lost Ring

I have recently been reminded of the power of prayer.  I woke up this morning and couldn't find my wedding ring.  My wedding ring with my mother's diamond in the center.  My mother who passed away 21 years ago.  My sacred irreplaceable wedding ring with tons of sentimental value.  I usually keep it in a jewelry box on my dresser.  I don't sleep in it and I put it in the same place every night.  Okay sometimes it ends up in the soap dish in the master bathroom but that is only when I am being lazy.  The only other time that I take it off would be when I am working in the kitchen with dough that needs hand mixing and I don't want to get it messed up, so I put it on the window sill in the kitchen while I do my kneading.  I made home-made pizza dough last Wednesday.  I was pretty sure I put it back on my hand afterwards.

Yesterday (a week after the dough) was a Wednesday and I had to get up very early and take my husband to an appointment.  Anyways it was too dark and early to search around when I didn't see my diamonds right away, so I just wore my band that day.  I didn't think much of it and wore only the band the entire day (and night).  I got up this morning and looked in earnest for my diamond ring.  It wasn't where it should be.  Nor was it in the second or third places it should have been.  I looked briefly under the bed because, okay, another place I sometimes put it is on the nightstand after I am already in bed and too lazy to get out and go to the jewelry box.  Basically I am lazy and don't deserve this ring.  It wasn't under the bed either.  I went straight to my knees and begged for help.

As I drove my two silliest boys to go school shopping this morning, my mind was occupied with where in the heck was that ring?!  That pizza dough day kept coming to mind but I had had my ring since then and I knew it.  While shopping, the silliness was more irritating than usual due to my worried state.  Four hours later at home, I started telling family members about my missing ring and asking them to keep their eyes open for it.  It was supposed to be M's day to come and clean for me and I was stricken with worry that it would end up in her vacuum cleaner.  Unfortunately for M she was struck by a car (she was okay) on the way to my house and her car had to be towed.  So I would be leaving the carpets unvacuumed and saying more prayers for M's hurt back.  That girl has more bad luck on my cleaning day than one can shake a stick at.  A slip on the ice, a doggy bladder infection, a slip on the wet grass, been hit by a car.  It's a mystery.  She only comes once a month now.  So her bad luck has been cut in half at least.

One other time, many years ago I had lost my ring, prayed for help, and was inspired to look in a spot under the bed and there it was.  It had been knocked off the night table. This time I had looked there with no luck. But the thought came that it must have been knocked off the dresser.  So I looked and looked there.  I unearthed mountains of dust bunnies in the process.  No ring.  RATS!  Discouraged, I went to the closest trash can to get rid of the bunnies and as I was in the master bath, another thought came (and I am sure it was nothing short of inspiration).  The thought took me back to a couple days earlier while combing Little Girl's hair.  Something had dropped on the ground and I felt it hit my toe and bounce under the cupboards.  I figured it was a hair clip or something and wasn't too motivated to get it.  I may have swiped my foot under there with no luck of finding anything and I decided that bending down for a hair clip wasn't worth it.  Now, here, this specific memory was coming back to mind while I was in the same spot throwing away dust in the bathroom.  I took the sock I had been using as a hand cover when fishing under the dresser and swiped it under the bathroom cupboards. (There is about an inch of space between the cupboards and the bathroom tile).  To my amazement out popped my ring.  It had been there for a couple days probably.  I went straight to my knees again in thanks.  Amazed.  T and I have both experienced this kind of miracle with our wedding rings.  You may be cynical, but I know that God hears and answers even the smallest of prayers.

Recently I have also lost a library book.  I know that if it's meant to be,
I will find that too.