Lost, found and other fruits of the fall

After spending most of the afternoon baking for this weekend’s Angels Unlimited bazaar at Goodrich Memorial United Methodist Church, and since choir practice was canceled because of Halloween, it was nice to get out and partake of some friends’ holiday trick ‘r treatery! James and Darline R. Massie do things up right in their neighborhood. We were grateful they shared the spirit of the fall season with us. 

Another factor also contributed to the decision to go out and have a little fun for the evening. In addition to thinking we would have choir practice (since it wasn't officially canceled until last night), I thought Gene would not be back from a trip until today, so I had not bought goodies to give to kids who came trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Since he came home a day early, it was fun to do something out of the ordinary for us. 

I thought this was going to tie into nicely to the lost-and-found and discoveries-of-the-season theme for a blog post, but as usual, it will take longer than an evening for me to develop my thoughts, especially if I want it to be concise. 

A good friend, who knows how I am as a writer, could not resist telling me today that November is National Writing Month. Writers are encouraged to write at least 500 words each day. Interesting. Earlier this week I told a professional I'm not sure I would have ever gone into a career as a journalist had I known things about myself that I know now.

I've been on a journey of self-discovery the past two years (since I left the field of full-time professional journalism), and one of the components is figuring out where writing fits in. For all the improvements I've made in many areas of my life in that time, my relationship with writing is still quite dysfunctional. It seems I can't live with it and I can't live without it. 

But, hey, I wrote a blog draft last night and now I'm writing again. So, maybe 500 words a day is possible. Especially if I let myself do it like I've done these two days, not worrying if my thoughts aren't really developed or completed.

One of my struggles as a writer is that everything I want to write about seems related to something else, and I have a hard time keeping it simple. 

For instance, the thing I really wanted to include tonight is that after going out for some Halloween cheer, I came home feeling grateful for my husband's return, my successful day of baking and then the time out. 

Yet, I couldn't shake the frustration I felt because I had not been able to find one of my rings. 

People who keep up with my Facebook and blog posts may recall that a year ago in July, I lost my diamond engagement ring while my husband and I were driving to upstate New York. I have a history of losing and-or misplacing things, but the thought of having lost that ring on a great trip with my husband crushed my heart and spirit. I wrote about praying for peace and calm and to realize material things don't really matter. And yet, I knew God knew that I really wanted to find it. And at the end of the day, the ring I thought I must have lost at a rest stop hundreds of miles earlier was found in the backseat of the truck. And that tied in with a whole other story with my husband about rings and anniversaries and a diamond band I got at Christmas as a result.

It was this diamond band that I could not find when I got ready to put on my rings yesterday morning. I looked all around where it might have been if it had just fallen when I put it on its holder, to no avail. I was floored. I had not missed it when I took my rings off. I thought back through the previous day. I began to imagine it could have slipped off anywhere, although that seemed so unlikely on a warm day. (My problem with rings typically has been in cold weather, when my fingers shrink or I'm wearing gloves and putting my hands in and out of pockets.) I was overwhelmed to think of the possibilities of where it could be.

Meanwhile, with the bazaar prep and other things going on this week, I knew I didn't have a lot of time to keep looking for the ring. So I went onto other things, just letting my mind wander back to the possibilities of where it could be. I remembered I had taken a couple of selfies in the afternoon at the neighborhood lake. I didn't think my hand would show up in a picture, but when I looked, there it was! So, I had the ring on my finger while I was in my car at 4 p.m. Monday. From there I went home. The only time I left the house was to walk out to the mailbox at the curb. So the ring had to be in my car, between the car and the mailbox, or in the house. That narrows things down. Right. .... That's another whole other story that I won't delve into now!!!!

 

I know I looked back where my ring should have been at least four or five times Tuesday and today. But for some reason, when I got home tonight, I looked one more time, as if I thought it might magically appear where it had never been. I had decided my next step would be to get my husband to look carefully in that area as well. I knew I could not get rid of anything in the house until the ring was found, lest it was hidden among trash, treasures headed to the bazaar or clothes destined for Goodwill.

Lo and behold, when I looked this time, there was the ring!!!!   

Never mind how annoying it is to keep losing or misplacing things. Or to be able to look right at something for almost two days and somehow not see it. I'm just thrilled to say what was lost now is found! Whew! Thank You, God! (Yes, I still pray for peace and sanity when I'm looking for things I've lost, and I know God also knows what a relief I would feel if I found it.) And indeed: What a major relief amid a busy week! 

And the story will continue to develop .... perhaps divided into more manageable pieces for National Writers Month, starting tomorrow!