Wedding Rings

Several weeks ago there was a news report about two women who became friends after one lost her wedding ring in a grocery store parking lot and the other woman found it and somehow returned it to her. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13987981 The woman who found the ring had initially thought she might keep the expensive looking ring and sell it for money. She and her family were strapped due to the economy. The story jogged my memory of a similar thing that happened to me while on the trip to Hawaii my family took back in 2000 for Christmas.

My parents, that Christmas, decided to take us all on a trip to Oahu rather than buy us gobs of STUFF we didn't really need. I thought it was wonderful. We packed up on Christmas day and left Salt Lake saying farewell to our winter coats and the layer of icy smog choking the valley floor. We spent several days on Oahu enjoying the typical tourist sights, Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, pineapple plantations, and Costco. Mom and Dad surprised us with an additional side trip to the island of Kauai for one day. We left early in the morning and watched the sun rise from our airplane windows. Our good friends, the Carlos's were there staying at the Marriott resort, so we met up with them and went on a tour of the island. We saw the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, had a boat ride up Wailua River to the Fern Grotto, ate lunch at a quaint Hawaiian restaurant, then went snorkling at Poipu Beach. It was here at Poipu Beach I found what I thought would be the only diamond ring I would ever get.

I was in the restroom changing into my bathing suit. As I bent over to pick up my clothes, I saw something sparkle under the toilet. I reached down to pick it up and got a rush of adrenaline as I realized what I held in my fingers was a very expensive diamond ring. I quickly finished in restroom and ran out to our group. I showed everyone what I had found and they all expressed great awe at having made this incredible find. I think at one point I even voiced my fear that this would be the only diamond ring to ever be in my posession. My mom and Brenda Carlos, of course, said I would certainly find a man who would give me a diamond ring and it would be better than the one I was currently trying on for size.

So, I secured the ring carefully in my backpack, deep down hoping I wouldn't have to keep it and feel guilty about it. I felt sorry for whoever lost it. We talked about what we could do to possibly reunite the ring and its owner. We talked about placing an ad in the local paper or making flyers to hang around the park. There was nothing we could do right then so we went swimming and snorkling for about an hour. It was about then I heard my parents calling my name. So I gathered up my gear and walked back to where they were sitting. They were talking to some people I didn't recognize.

My mom introduced me to them, unfortunately I can't remember anything about them, except that he wore a UofU tshirt and she wore a BYU tshirt and that they were from Salt Lake. Mom asked me to show them the ring, and when I did the woman nearly cried. It was hers. Mom had seen them walking slowly around in the grass with their heads bent down. She knew what they were looking for. She approached them and asked if there was a problem. They told her they were looking for the woman's engagement ring. Mom asked them to describe it, knowing full well it wasn't necessary.

I was glad to have that out of my hands, so to speak. I was amazed that the people were members of the LDS church and the luck they must have felt that we had found their ring and wanted to return it to them. Mom often reminds me of what I said when I found the think. I don't remember saying it, but she says I told everyone that I was always hoping to get a ring from "John," just not that john.

A year and a half later I got my own ring. It may not have as many diamonds adorning it as the one I found in Hawaii, but it has a lot more meaning. And it came with a real man. A real GOOD man.