Once in awhile, something extraordinarily strange occurs. Miraculous, even.
Thirty years ago, James and I lived in a little wooden house, on Bill Creel Road. Our boys were just babies. In fact, we celebrated Dean’s first birthday there, with a ‘clown’ themed party; ironic, since clowns, to this day...give him the shuddering shivers. I, on the other hand, adore them.
As with any home; there were, both, sad and happy moments. Focusing on the ‘happiest’; we saw our very first snow together, as a young family in 1992, I believe.
But not every home is meant for every family, and we moved from there by 1993. So, let’s fast forward a bit.
It’s 2022, and James and I were watching television. The kids are grown and gone. Long gone, is the young couple, raising babies, and experiencing first birthdays and first snowy days. Now, we observe...with aching knees and tired muscles...as Dean and Joanna experience those many first moments with our grand babies.
My cell phone dinged, alerting that I had a message. It was Amy...a friend and lifelong neighbor. She had some pretty shocking information for us. Another family was living in the house on Bill Creel Road, and the man of the home had found something outside. Something that belonged to James. Something that he lost over thirty years ago.
This kind gentleman found James’ class ring. We were absolutely stunned. Thirty years of rain, heat exposure, snow, lawn mowers, and let’s not forget...hurricanes; and that ring survived it all. It endured.
We were amazed and ecstatic that it was found, though we figured that it would be in poor condition. But no. It was perfect. Sufficed to say...and in spite of the natural and potentially detrimental elements; it was in far better shape than James or myself. We endured, but not without damage. This ring was as flawless, as the day he received it.
What an extraordinary moment! Sometimes things are meant to be with us. And it made us wonder. Are things ever, really, lost? Or are they simply waiting, instead, to be found? I like to think that it’s the latter, and that the timing is not a mere coincidence. James had barely survived COVID not long before. He found his way back and survived his own storm; just as that ring had.
Over thirty years. Is it a miracle? Maybe not. But James and I sure like to think so.
