In the first few months after I lost my ring, I went through a mourning period. Finding a replacement was going to be difficult. I wanted the exact ring that Adam worked so hard to buy. When we got engaged, we were both struggling college students. And in the few months before our engagement, he had decided to take a term off of school to extend his summer internship. I didn't find out until later that his decision was driven by his plan to give me an epic engagement story (ring included). I will never forget looking inside that ring box while Adam awkwardly knelt inside that horse drawn carriage in Victoria, B.C. amidst onlookers awaiting my inevitable reply..."YES!"
There was no option to buy a brand new replacement as the jeweler was no longer local and no longer carried that design (duh...it's been a few years!). There were many many options to purchase ones that were almost the same, but that just didn't feel right to me. Ebay was my best option, and it didn't take long for me to find my ring. The only problem was that it was going to cost over $1k MORE than when Adam had purchased it brand new. I didn't want to pay that much for a used duplicate.
Over the next several months I would periodically check Ebay for 3-stone platinum rings in the hopes that I would find another one cheaper. I didn't have much luck. Then, one day around Thanksgiving (8 months post-"tragedy") I saw that the ring I originally found was on sale. It was still going to be more than the original price, but by then I had resolved that no other replacement was going to suffice. But to be sure I had exhausted every avenue, I decided to spend a couple of hours on Ebay searching other listings...just hoping I would find one for cheaper. No such ring seemed to exist....until...I found a listing that sparked my interest. The picture was crooked and blurry. The additional pictures weren't much better. In fact, there was even a picture in the mix that wasn't of the ring listed! These folks looked like amateurs. I checked their other listings...all jewelry, and a 100% feedback score on over 2,000 sales. I was hopeful!
I was overcome with excitement at the possibility of this listing being a replacement. The price was almost too good to be true! It was only 25% of the cost of the other listing! I messaged the seller immediately requesting better pictures and asked if there was anything inscribed inside the band. He promptly replied the next morning with everything I asked...and he did NOT disappoint!! I was ecstatic!!!! There's a bit more to that story...but I'd rather not turn this post into a novel. In short, I had it shipped overnight mail (it didn't come!), and it arrived in 2 days...within a day or two of Adam and I's belated anniversary trip to Jamaica.
I really felt like finding that replacement ring was a HUGE blessing. When it arrived, I also discovered that it was the exact same size as my wedding band! It was as if it was meant to be.
Well...fast forward to earlier this month...
It was after church on Sunday, and I received a text from my friend Jackie asking me to call her. If you recall from my last post, Jackie is the owner of the sheep farm where my original ring was lost. She has been in the thick of lambing season and I thought she was wanting to see if maybe I could help out at the farm or something. Quite honestly, I wasn't expecting to hear her tell me a story and end it with."...found your ring." Say WHAT?!?!?!
You see, after searching for hours and hours in the driving rain through piles and piles sheep manure on two different occasions, we gave up. Our metal detectors (one was brand new) had both failed, and the task was just too overwhelming. We didn't know if the ring was even in the manure!
Jackie has a trusted friend that helps out on her farm who does metal detecting on the side. After we had failed to find it, she asked us if we would offer a reward to her metal detecting friend if he happened to find it. We, of course, said yes and offered up a very worthwhile price. Over the last two years that man has tried, on several occasions, to find my ring. 3 weeks ago, he was out trapping varmints on Jackie's farm and decided to take his metal detector. A varmint caught his eye over by that old manure pile, and he almost went back to his truck to exchange his metal detector for his gun...but he didn't. He found my ring instead. Adam couldn't withdraw the money fast enough...and by that afternoon, my ring...my irreplaceable treasure...had returned home.
I won't lie, it was slightly painful to pay that hefty reward after already spending the money to replace it. But, I know God's plans are greater than mine...and today I feel doubly blessed. Thank you Jesus!
