Lord of the Rings
I was bicycling the other day and upon returning from a nice ride on a cool Arizona morning, I slid off of my bike, removed my riding gloves, and low-and-behold, my ring slipped off my finger along with the glove. It was noticed immediately and restored to its place of honor, my middle finger, left hand. As I walked into the house, the incident made me reflect on another ring, years ago, and the mysterious happenings surrounding that little band of gold.
It all started in 1969 when Becky, my late wife, bestowed upon me a simple gold band. Simple it was, plain gold finish, no gemstones, no engraving, but it was as complicated a device as man has ever worn…. a wedding band.
Despite its lack of intrinsic value, it was a treasure to me. A sign of my fidelity and undying love. Save my watch, it was the only piece of jewelry I owned or ever wore. There was another tinier gold band with as much significance, which was on Becky’s hand where it remained until the day she died.
Mine on the other hand (no pun intended) had a completely different journey and the subject of this story.
Lord of the Rings (Part 1)
What is lost is not gone.
It was a fine summer day at a lake in northern Wisconsin. It was the mid 1970s, our family was vacationing en masse at an old-time Northwoods resort. Five siblings, five cottages, five new families and plenty of chaos to go around. My two brothers and brothers-in-law were horsing-around on the dock when one of my brothers gave me a shove to knock me off the dock into the water. Startled, I threw my arms straight out to catch my balance and my wedding ring flew off my finger and into the lake. The fact that it was relatively shallow complicated the recovery process because that’s where the rest of the tribe was swimming and in general just playing. We searched and we searched, but in the end, the ring was gone; lost in the sandy bottom of the lake, gone forever. It was a somber evening when I recounted the events that lead to the loss of the ring, and later that night I got my ration of “I told you so” and “You guys are always playing too rough”. I guess I deserved it, but I can assure you I already felt bad enough.
The incident passed soon enough, but it cast a pallor on the whole vacation. On our last day at the lake, I woke up early to go and enjoy the early morning sun. Here, wading in the lake wearing his son’s swimming goggles was my brother Chuck; head down in the water obviously looking for my ring. I was about to call him out of the water, (what’s gone is gone, what’s lost is lost) when suddenly he disappeared under the water and emerged with the ring clasped tightly in his fist.
Trust is a hard thing to earn. I had felt the stinging pain of disappointing someone I loved and had always wanted so desperately to trust me. So, at that moment, when the ring appeared, I knew what sheer joy felt like. It was a moment to be cherished forever.
Fast forward to the mid 80s I went on a “guys” ski trip to Steamboat Springs, CO. We were staying at some ski-in/ski-out condo, second floor, mountain side. We had just arrived and were unloading the car when I slipped going out the door of our condo. As I fell backwards I again threw my arms out to gain my balance, and once again my little band of gold was sent flying off my finger, two-stories below into a snow drift about 20 feet high.
My heart sank as I began to contemplate how to tell Becky.
I decided not to.
Instead, I went about my business as if nothing had happened. I was sure that with the help of a metal detector and a good shovel I could find that ring. Finally, three days later, I found a mining supply company where I could rent a professional metal detector. I drove the 50 miles to Kremmling, CO to pick up the monster device and the 50 miles back through Rabbit Ear Pass. After four hours of digging through that 20 foot drift, I came up with 60 cents and some assorted metal garbage…… but no wedding ring.
Totally devastated, I went up to the condo door where the incident happened, I looked down at the now totally cleared area below and a voice in my head said "What goes up, must come down"…unless it gets hung-up somewhere! It was an open staircase so I walked up a flight of stairs. I didn’t see a thing, but in the corner of the landing was a little pile of snow. I brushed it aside and there it was, in all its simple glory, my wedding band. What once was lost is once again found, again.
It was a few years later when I was on a business trip to Omaha, I had been out the night before and had an early flight back home. I can’t really say what happened but, on the way to the airport I must have dozed off momentarily because when I looked up I was headed straight towards a light pole on the left side of the highway. I jerked the steering wheel to the right and over corrected. The next thing I knew the car was rolling over and over, and on one of those roll-overs I was ejected. I found myself rolling on the ground not knowing if the vehicle was in front of me or behind me, or soon to be on top of me.
I don’t know how I survived the accident but I did. The next thing I remember was a police officer taking me (at high speed) to the hospital where I was treated for bumps, bruises and contusions, but nothing serious. Later that day, I was able to get a cab to the airport and catch a plane ride home. As I sat waiting for my plane, I noticed that my ring was gone, lost on a grassy prairie near Omaha, NE. Once again, that old familiar feeling of deep sadness and loss came flooding over me. Lost, and this time gone forever. I couldn’t even tell you where the accident happened much less go back and search for the ring. Yes, this time I was sure it was truly gone, never to return.
About a month later, I received a package via UPS from Avis. It was a large box that contained my suitcase and my briefcase. Inside the suitcase someone had placed two small packages. The first small package contained the now broken glasses I was wearing that day. The second package contained that magic gold ring. It came back to me again and remains with me to this day. Today, that ring is 55 years old, maybe older, and it too is retired (in a safe spot), but the story doesn’t end here.
Lord of the Rings(Part 2)
What is lost is not gone.
My little gold band was an important part of my life; it was part of who I am and what I believe in.
I believe in miracles and in the endless opportunities that constantly present themselves if you are open and accepting. I call it “A Sense of Positive Self Expectancy”. It’s that feeling that something wonderful is going to happen to me today. And, it does.
Shortly after Becky died, I met Teri. I can honestly say it was love at first sight. I’ll remember the night I met her and the circumstances leading up to our first date, and virtually every date until several years later when we married. At that time, she also presented me with a gold wedding band. This one was not quite so simple, it had a rather large diamond mounted on it and a flashy bezel. My friends used to kid me and asked what team I was playing for when I got my ring.
Two things were true about my new ring. One, it wasn’t as simple in design as my previous gold band, and two, it was just as complex (or maybe more so) than its predecessor and I took it very seriously.
One winter evening in about 2007, I came home late, flopped into bed and proceeded to knock-off some serious ZZZs before an early morning meeting scheduled for 7:00 am (just a few hours away). When I jumped in the car that morning, I noticed I didn’t have my ring on. That was okay as I often took my ring off at night when I slept. I think it had something to do with letting gold breathe ,or something like that. Later that day when I got home, I went to the bedroom to check my nightstand but it wasn’t there. I checked the bathroom, my closet, the laundry room and my office. By the end of my search, I was looking in places where it couldn’t possibly be. I even checked behind the refrigerator and other goofy places that I probably was never near, much less took my ring off and set it where I was searching. Yes, I tore my car apart, looked in the garbage, under the bed, behind the dresser, everywhere. It was gone! I didn’t rule out theft, but who would wander into the house, take my ring and nothing else. It was a mystery and it was just plain gone.
A couple of years later we sold that house with everything in it. We moved about 100 miles away and pretty much put the “lake house” out of our minds. One day, shortly after the sale, I received a call from the new owner. She was calling to inquire if we really meant to leave behind some things that were not in the contract. We assured her that all was well and that we hoped she and her family enjoyed the house as much as we did. Then she said “Oh, by the way, we replaced the mattress in the primary bedroom and I found a ring wedged between the side rail and support slat. It’s a gaudy fake diamond looking thing that I figured was one of the kid’s. What should I do with it?"
WOW, what once was lost has now been found. Not just once, but four amazing times. I simply cried. I couldn’t believe it. My wedding ring was back with me again. In a way, I was flabbergasted, but in another way I can’t say I was surprised. I expect wonderful things to happen to me, and so although I’m often astonished by the event, I’m really not surprised. It’s just God working one of his many miracles that have filled my life.
I don’t remember if I told the wonderful lady who found the ring its true significance or its value. Suffice to say, I was amazed and really happy, but that’s not the rest of the story.
Lord of the Rings(Part 3)
What is lost is not gone.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m not much of the jewelry type. I owned lots of watches over the years, but mostly because I always purchased cheap ones. You know the type; they sell them at TJ Max or Ross Dress For Less for $30.00. You get them in the mail for answering a survey for USPS, or some other obnoxious pest. I probably have 50 of them in drawers and boxes around the house. However, even though I never wore a lot of jewelry, there was one major exception.
My hero ring.
It’s a really long story to explain how I came to owning it or why I called my hero ring. However, I wore it almost every day and was really proud to wear it. I got tons of compliments on the ring and I knew that either my diamond wedding ring or my “hero ring” were bound to trigger a conversation with a stranger and they seldom ever let me down.
It was a typical night; I got home late and plunked down in my chair in the living room. I turned on the light, picked up a book and began reading. About an hour into it, I was getting tired and decided to go to bed. I slipped my ring off my finger, set it on the lamp table, on top of my book, and went to bed. The next morning I headed off to go to yet another business meeting. As usual, I was in a hurry and didn’t even think about my hero ring. I knew where it was and I knew it would be fine. At about noon, I returned home to grab some lunch and to check on my ring. I was kind of surprised when I walked into the living room and didn’t see my ring. I figured it had been moved to the bedroom, I checked but, no! Then I started the panic search. I looked everywhere, logical spots, illogical spots. I searched every place I could think of regardless of if it made sense or not. In the end, after three days of searching, I gave up. It was gone, I misplaced it or someone took it. I thought that was highly unlikely because I knew everyone who was in and out of the place and trusted each and every one of them. This one was definitely on me. Or so I thought.
Some months later I was on eBay looking for the value of an antique, Masonic ring for a friend of mine when I spotted a ring that looked suspiciously familiar. I was sure it was my ring so I called the merchant who claimed that they had bought the ring at auction and had no idea of it provenance. Although I didn’t really believe that story, I just had a feeling about the ring and I bought it.
I anxiously awaited its arrival, and when I opened the package, I slipped the ring on my finger and sure enough, it fit perfectly. I was certain it was my hero ring. However, just to make sure, I brought the ring into my jeweler who had done some repair work and replaced a stone. He verified it was his work and he had records of the diamond he used to replace the lost one. It was indeed my ring. What once was lost was now restored again.
I’m not sure what to make of these extraordinary events other than to say that my life has been a series of extraordinary events. I think that people who see and appreciate God’s work and wonder will experience it in a personal way in their lives.
To end, let me share the words of a Harry Chapin song, Circle:
Verse 2
I found you a thousand times
I guess you've done the same
But then we lose each other
It's just like a children's game
But as I find you here again
The thought runs through my mind
Our love is like a circle
Let's go 'round one more time.
Chorus
Oh, all my life's a circle
Sunrise and sundown
The moon rolls through the nighttime
Til the daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle
But I can't tell you why
The seasons spinning round again
The years keep rolling by.
