I lost one of my wedding bands...not something you usually consider an amazing thing, right?
...yep, on the beach...one of my diamond wedding bands lost in the sand...forever?
I was only wearing my two bands (I had left my engagement ring home) and took them off to apply another layer of sunscreen to my girls. I put the bands in the cup holder of my beach chair. Obviously, I intended on putting them right back on...but a bottle of water went into the cup holder instead.
When it was time to leave, we packed up all the chairs and umbrellas, towels, blankets (you get the idea) and loaded them up onto a wheeled cart. We crossed the sand to the boardwalk. My dad had to bump that cart up 8 or so steps up to the boardwalk and then we began our trek back to the condo. This boardwalk is rather long and zigzags through the dunes. I went ahead with the girls to the shower to rinse them off...and that's where I realized that I was not wearing my wedding bands. I quickly back tracked to find my dad. One lonely wedding band was still in the cup holder of my chair...now I panicked and tried not to cry.
My parents took the cart apart to see if it had fallen into anything else we were carrying while I began the task of backtracking. My eyes searched the walkway as I returned to the beach. If it fell out while on the boardwalk and fell into the dunes, I realized I had little hope of ever finding it. I asked people along the way. I searched under the stairs from the walk to the sand...nothing. I prayed. I could still see the cart tracks, so I slowly walked along those tracks...searching, searching, searching...the berm had never seemed so long.
I had a pretty good idea of where we had been on the beach because Bella had dug a big hole nearby. Another family had already taken that spot. I told them what had happened and they helped me search. We moved their chairs and cooler...still nothing. They assured me they would turn it in to the check-in desk if they found it...I began walking back. One of the ladies from their group walked with me and helped me search the cart track path again. In order to see what my band would do if it were dropped, I took off my other one and simply dropped it into the sand...it completely disappeared. It sunk right into the soft sand and my heart sunk with it...it didn't even leave a circle where it had fallen...that's when I knew the chances of finding it were slim to none. I thanked the lady who had walked with me and headed up the steps to the boardwalk.
There is a cabana area at the end of the boardwalk. I asked the lady working there if anyone had turned in a ring. Another lady who worked there was very sad about me losing my wedding band. She called the front desk to see if maintenance had a metal detector. She also called the military police to see if they had one. I talked to the lifeguards to see if they had anything that might help. No metal detectors anywhere. I cried as I walked back down the boardwalk.
When I got back to the condo, my dad headed out to the rec center to see if they had any metal detectors. I called the military fire department to see if they had one. The fire chief told me that people often used metal detectors at night or in the morning on the beach. We had seen a man using one the night before...I wondered if he would be out there again.
I also called Steve. He was so kind and understanding...I just cried...I was so sorry for not being more careful.
Well, no metal detectors at the rec center either. My dad called some local places to see if we could rent one...nope. But my dad had another plan. He suggested we head back down to the beach and sift the sand through a mesh bag...a bag that had once been part of the beach cart. He knew we couldn't search the whole beach, but we could search the area where we had been sitting. If the ring fell out before we started the trek back, then maybe we could find it. We both knew there was little hope if it fell out somewhere along the way.
So, we packed up the buckets, the mesh bag, and a beach mat. By now, it was early evening and I was hoping that someone with a metal detector might be able to help us...but no such luck. I also asked the girls to pray. I found the hole Bella had dug and was able to determine just about where we had been seating...I am so thankful for that digging project of hers. Dad put the mat down and he and the girls knelt down on it. His plan was to systematically search that area...the girls had their specific instructions...stay on the mat, use your bucket to scoop the sand down to where it's not dry, dump the bucket into the mesh bag...one scoop at a time...I was the sifter.
The first scoop...nothing but some shells. The second scoop...more of the same.
The third scoop (which was Bella's scoop, by the way)...I saw something glittering while I shook the bag to sift the sand, but surely that could not be my ring.
BUT IT WAS! There, in the bottom of the mesh bag, was my wedding ring. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! There it was! Found in the third scoop of sand...unbelieveable!
I'll confess...I had little hope of finding my ring. I really didn't even want to go look for it...but my dad was so optimistic...his hope was contagious. If he was willing to go dig around in the sand, shouldn't I be?
Dad, you're brilliant...so very wonderfully and amazingly smart! Your plan (which I think God planted in your head) was perfect! Thank you, thank you for encouraging us (insisting, really) to go back down to the beach :) And thank you, Lord!
Here's our re-enactment photo of the Miracle at the Beach.
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| Look closely...there's my ring! |
Have a great day...God bless~
Rach
Yay!!!!!!!!!
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