Lost And Found

I need a lost and found in my house. I used always to lose my keys until I started putting them in the same place every night. Jewelry, however, is a problem. More than 20 years ago, my husband, then-boyfriend, bought me a beautiful gold necklace for my birthday. The cross had a delicate cluster of diamonds around the center; it was beautiful. Years later, after our first child was born, I walked with the baby around the block, and he managed to yank the chain off my neck. I spent hours and hours searching for it, but I’d lost it forever.

First Christmas

One Christmas after that, he bought me a pair of gold hoop earrings with diamonds running up and down the center. Unfortunately, I grew up in the 80s when heavy earrings were all the rage and one of them fell out of my ear. Once again, I retraced all my steps from the day – to no avail. I still have the single earring in my jewelry box.

If At First You Don’t Succeed

So a few years later, he found another pair just like them and bought them for me on Christmas. I was thrilled and I’ve been wearing them nearly every day since. I learned from my mistakes though and now wear a back along with the clasp so that there is double protection against losing them.

Drat!!

At least, I thought so until this afternoon. My left earlobe was insanely itchy and I began to scratch it when suddenly I realized one of my earrings was gone! I searched the house, dug through the couch, unfolded and refolded the blankets, checked my my sweatshirt, and called the kids to enlist their help. Nothing. If I had lost it on my morning walk with the dog it would again be like finding a needle in a haystack and I was upset. I dig out the other remaining earring from my jewelry box and put it in. Though very similar there was a percievable difference in size and I sighed as I looked in the mirror.

Close, But No Cigar

This evening my husband asked me if I had found it as he walked into the livingroom where I was sitting working on my blog. We rehashed all the places I’d checked. He folded and unfolded the same blanket on the couch where we were snuggling the night before. Strolling into the bedroom he called out asking if I’d checked the couch. Of course. Soon he was back in the room announcing, It has to be here! I resigned myself to walking the dog route when he yelled, Here it is!!  Despite my searching, I’d missed it. He noticed a glint of light under the edge of the couch and dug underneath. The smile on his face said it all.

The whole experience left me thinking about how eternally grateful I am that no matter how lost I feel, God knows just where I am.

Luke 15:8-10 8 Or what woman who has ten silver coins and loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep her house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors to say, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”…

 

Day 2