{ The Wedding Ring }

The Wedding Ring
(Preserving family stories)

I can remember it just as if it were yesterday. My father had found a lump on his side and they were going to do surgery on him to see if it was cancer or not. It was such a hard day. I wasn`t to good at handling things back then. I was only 22 years old. On top of my father having surgery it snowed, eleven inches. Normally I love the snow but that day I didn't enjoy anything. I was to worried about my dad. After sitting around for hours at my mothers house. Waiting for a phone call. I couldn't take it any more so Gary and I decided to go for a ride. Having a Jeep made it easy to go for rides in the snow. It was one of our favorite things to do.

We ended up at lake Towhee. Its a beautiful state park. Gary was taking pictures and I was mostly wandering around thinking about my father. I don`t remember how long we were there maybe an hour or more. It was beautiful. It took my mind off the surgery for a little while. The lake was very pretty. We were all by our selves.

When we trekked our way back to the Jeep Gary had a cigarette before going home. We were standing there in the empty parking lot when Gary realized that his wedding ring was missing! We were both really upset. We looked around to see if we could see a circle shaped hole in the snow. We couldn`t see anything. I was really upset about the whole thing. Gary felt really bad. There wasn`t much that we could do.

We decided that we better head back to my mothers house to see if there was any news. We had been gone fairly long. When we got back to her house my mother still had not heard anything from the hospital. It wasn`t to long after that when the surgeon called and told us that the tumor in my fathers side was a big as a grapefruit not the size of a walnut like we had thought and that it probably was cancerous. That was devastating news to all of us. It really didn`t sink in right away.

The next week went by in kind of a blur. I don`t really remember much about it at all. When the next weekend came the snow here was almost gone. So I suggested to Gary that we take another ride down to lake Towhee and see if we could find his ring in the parking lot.

When we got to the lake, the snow had not melted there as much as I thought it would have and I was very disappointed. There was still about three inches of snow on the ground. We decided to go for a walk down by the lake. All the while that we were walking I was praying about Gary`s ring. That ring meant so much to me. I was sure now that he had lost it we would surely get a divorce. I wasn`t thinking very clearly especially with all that was going wrong with my father.

It`s funny the thoughts that go through your mind. I`d never really gone through hardship, a sickness in the family. We had been very fortunate in that respect. I just didn`t know what to do with the whole situation. I really couldn`t handle it very well so I guess thats why I was so focused on Gary loosing his ring.

It was a very beautiful day at the lake. Gary was taking more pictures. We stopped on the path that turned back towards the parking lot. I was standing there waiting until Gary finished taking his picture. I was looking around as the sun shinning through the trees. I just happened to look down at the ground. I saw the sun sparkle on something...about three inches from my foot I saw a round circle in the snow. I grabbed it and Joy of Joys it was Gary`s wedding ring!!!!!!

I couldn`t believe it. I was so excited. Just the thought of finding that ring on 50 acres of land, and being so close to my foot I could have stepped right on it! I was screaming and Gary didn`t know what happened until I opened my hand and he saw the ring.

My faith just soared. That God had answered my prayers about something that was important to me as small as it may seem. It was a lesson that I learned that day, that God did care about me and that he was in control of things. I knew that with what may lie ahead with my father some how everything would be all right. God would take care of us.

This happened a long while ago..... but I remember it as if it was yesterday. I've had many triles and tribulations since then. But, I still know that God is faithfull and can help me through all of them.