One of the gifts they game me was a beautiful ring with a small sappire, a jade, and a amethyst and 18 tiny zirconios. I've had it for almost 17 years now.
And I have lost it twice. Just today I found it again. The first time I lost it was several years ago, not sure just when. Then one day I found it in the bottom of my tea towel drawer in the kitchen. It must have just fell off when I was digging through the towels in the drawer. I was so happy to have found it.
Most recently, I wore the ring to Grandpa Leo's 90th birthday party. Or so I thought I did. When I got home and taking off my jewelry, the ring was not on my finger. I was devasted. I looked in the car, all over the floors of the house. I remembered drying my hands with paper towels both at the church and at the restaurant that evening, and was sure I slipped it off into the paper towels and threw it away. That was 56 days ago. Today, as I was sweeping the basement, I reached into the freezer room for the dust pan, and there on the floor lays the ring, in front of the filing cabinet beside the freezer. Now I have been into the filing cabinet several times in the last month and a half, and into the freezer almost daily. You'd think I would have seen it on the floor.
Once again, I was so happy to have found it once again.
But to add to this story, I also have a small black sapphire pinkie ring that I have also lost and found twice. The first time I lost it was just another day at work maybe about 10 years ago. Same thing. Got home and no ring on my pinkie finger. About a week later, Alexis calls to tell me the package I sent her arrived and in the bottom was this ring, and she wondered if I meant to send that to her as well! She quickly mailed it back to me!
About seven years ago we were in Phoenix eating at a restaurant with family members. Before we left the restaurant, I noticed my sapphire ring missing. But that time, I did remember having it on earlier in the day. I was in the restroom while at restaurant, again drying my hands with paper towels. I went back to the restroom, but the garbage container was a locked container. Melinda and I got someone who could unlock the disposal, and sure enough, laying precariously on top of some paper towels was my ring! Found again!
Speaking of lost jewelry, I lost a turquoise dangle earring, and could only think that it came off when I was bending over picking rhubarb at the neighbors. But nothing found there. A few weeks later, I found it inside my shower cap that was hanging on a bathroom hook. I had used the shower cap several times, but it always stayed tucked inside the elastic gathering. Crazy!
Now I try to be more attentive when drying my hands so as not to slip off any rings. However, my wedding ring and my anniversary ring fit tight enough that I can't take it off even when I try without a little soapy lubricant.
It's such an eventful feeling when something that was once lost-- again and again -- is found again -- and again -- and again.
