What if you lost your most treasured possession...

What is your most treasured possession? A family heirloom passed down through generations? That shiny new iPhone you just bought? Perhaps some rare collectors item? Each of us have special items that we seem to enjoy more than our other possessions, whether they be gifts from loved ones or things we worked hard to buy. We admire these things. We love them. We take care of them. We treasure them. 

One of the things I love and admire the most on a daily basis is my engagement ring. Although I've worn it for a good 3.5 years now, I still catch myself gazing at it, commenting to Jarred about how much it sparkles in certain rooms. I absolutely love everything about it. I love that my sweet husband had to save up and work his rear off to buy it for me because I had to have this one. It's unique and rare, from a collection that's no longer being made. It's petite and delicate and the perfect ring for me. But what if I didn't have it anymore? 

This question became a reality for me this past weekend. As Jarred and I were preparing to take a weekend trip up to New Hampshire and Maine, we had a bit of car trouble. Well, to be more accurate, we straight up knocked our side mirror out of its holder backing down our alleyway too fast because we forgot our camera at home and were too eager to get on the road. Thus started a downward spiral of events. We hit a pole, out pops the mirror and crap...we aren't going anywhere until this is fixed. But hark, what do I remember? I have some special car putty that I can use to put it back on! Yay! I get the putty, start working it in my hands and think to myself, "oh goodness, I don't want to get this stuff on my rings!!" Of course not, right? Off go both my engagement and wedding bands, which are soldered together to make one ring, and my Clemson ring. I set them on the car to finish my repair job. Finally the mirror is back in place and we are on the road, flying up I-95 to  new adventures on the horizon.

Once we checked into our hotel for the night, right at the New Hampshire/Maine border, we start thinking about dinner options. As we're getting ready to go eat, I start rubbing some lotion on my hands. Now ladies, you especially know that you have to be careful putting on lotion because it can get all up in your rings! Just as that thought crossed my mind, my face went white and I gasped. Poor Jarred didn't know what was going on. "MY RINGSSS!!!, MY RINGS, oh my goodness my rings! They're gone, Oh my gosh, they were on top of the car!!!!! I didn't put them back on. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh...they're gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!" My thoughts were racing 90 miles an hour, which is almost as fast as we were going up the interstate when my rings were ON TOP OF THE FLIPPIN' CAR! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

After the initial startling realization of what happened, my "calm in emergencies" phase kicked it. I immediately started thinking about what to do next. Should we go home? Could the rings have fallen off the car immediately when we started driving? Perhaps they're lying in our parking space? Would the scavengers who roam our alley looking through trash have noticed them yet? It was dusk where we were and would be completely dark in Boston within 30 minutes. There was no time to go home and still have daylight to search. Ah-Ha! Call the neighbor. Maybe she'll look. Who else? The folks I babysit for, they'll look! Sari, my co-teacher, surely she'll go look! Oh my goodness my mom is absolutely going to FREAK (and is probably doing so right about now as she reads this for the first time...eeek!).

As the search party was being sent out in full force, my stomach started to do flips. That sinking feeling just wouldn't leave. I NEVER take off my rings, how could this have happened?! I sleep with them, shower with them, and only rarely take them off for cleaning. What a disaster!

But then, in the exact same moment, something quite profound happened. I thought...this is not a disaster. In the grand scheme of life this is not even a big deal. There are people losing loved ones to cancer. The children I'm going to visit next month in Kenya don't have enough food to eat. I am so ridiculously blessed. These frivolous pieces of rock and metal are not something to freak out over. I know it may sound crazy, but...Perspective, it washed over me. I was more concerned with the fact that I probably should be flipping out more than I was. But then again, should I? No, not really.

Over the years I've actually wondered a good deal about whether or not I loved that ring too much. It's a mere material possession that I won't be able to take with me when I leave this world. In the Bible it clearly says that we should not treasure possessions here on this earth, where thieves can steal and rust can destroy... or in my case...that I can leave on top of my car and send flying to only the good Lord above knows where. But rather we should glorify the Lord with our lives so that we store up eternal treasures in Heaven. While I was sad that my rings were gone, I also had a calming peace that it was okay. It was almost a freeing feeling to be without them because in that moment, I realized the answer I'd been wondering about. No, I don't love my engagement ring too much. I am okay without it, and without my Clemson ring too. I don't need them. During the stress of it all, in my heart I was truly thankful for the time I got to have them, for the time to enjoy them and admire them, but okay with moving on ringless. Clarity is a great thing.

Now let me also say that I'm not delusional enough to think that in my sin I don't have other idols in my life, things I treasure far too much. I definitely do, and I pray God will show me those things in time. But this story is about rings...and it's not quite over yet...

The phone rang several times over the next 45 minutes with updates from my search party, but never to inform me that my rings had been found. That is until my precious husband decided to go join the search party himself, not back in Boston, but in the hotel parking lot. He went out to examine our car and think about the trajectory the rings might have taken. As he was walking out there, an idea hit him, and immediately he knew there was a chance! Low and behold, safely tucked away in the crack between the trunk and back window, to what to his wondering eyes should appear...BLING BLING!!! My engagement ring and wedding band!!! They had traveled from the top of the car, straight down the back window and gotten stuck in the crease. Can you believe it! They made it all the way up the interstate to Maine. How insane!! Praise the Lord, what a gift!! Isn't it funny how that works? More than once in life I've had to realize I was okay without something before the Lord decided to give it to me. Interesting.

Unfortunately my Clemson ring is still at large. Lots of searching but no luck yet. I'm pretty sure I've seen the last of that one. But again...I learned my lesson, and I'm A-Ok! Perhaps I should ponder the meaning of it's absence...perhaps it's Clemson I love too much!

In Loving Memory...RIP Clemson Ring, you were loved...