At the beginning of the year I shared on my Facebook page that I had lost the diamond out of my mother-in-law’s engagement ring.
She died in 2010, and I was honored to be given her wedding ring set. I always wore the engagement ring on my right hand. It reminded me of her. She was a wonderful person who never said a bad word about anyone. And she never failed to tell me how happy she was to include me in the family.
I wore the ring when I went to visit my daughter’s family. While feeding my little granddaughter, I casually looked down at my right hand, only to find a jagged hole where the little emerald cut diamond used to be. I was no longer casual, believe me!
How I searched for that colorless stone. My daughter and son-in-law helped me comb through the carpets by hand, check the baby blankets and inspect the kitchen disposal. All in vain.
I kept myself together until I had to call my husband. Good thing everyone else was in bed because I just cried. I know it was just a ‘thing’ but when I wore that ring, it was a reminder that she was with me. Not to mention that I felt I had been very careless.
My husband was great about it. He told me that he worried about me, not rings. As long as I was okay, then he was okay. “You know you’re going to find it don’t you? Don’t worry. Get some sleep, okay?”
I didn’t sleep well at all. I was leaving that day, so after another fruitless search, and promises to to through the vacuum bag, I left for home.
Two weeks went by. No ring. My husband and I decided to figure out what to do with the setting. In the midst of discussing it, the telephone rang.
My daughter joyfully announced: “I FOUND IT!!”
She was cleaning out a closet in the room I slept in when I visited. As she turned to face the bed, a sparkle caught her eye. There was the little diamond, blinking in the sun, embedded in the navy blue rug. My husband was right all along.
Jesus and my Father have never been praised and thanked more in my life. I thanked my mother-in-law and the Spirit for leading my daughter to the stone too.
But you know what I forgot to do? I forgot to invite the Lord to join me in my joy-party. I praised him, but at a distance. Like a young child who thanks his mom for the birthday present, but without a hug. Or without inviting her to play the game with him.
I don’t want to do a happy dance before him, I want to do it with him. He has already invited me to enter “into your master’s joy”. I bet he’d love to be invited to enter into mine.
Next time I celebrate, it will be a dance for two.
Surrounded by the Spirit on Facebook
Beautiful story, I love a happy ending.
Hi Barb! I sure did love this ending too. I was just sick about it. What a miracle!
So fun to see you here making a comment, thank you!
Try to keep warm 🙂
Ceil
Ceil~ your touching story brought tears to my eyes, yet joy to my heart.
Oh the goodness of our precious Heavenly Father.
May your heart continue to be blessed through your beautiful gift of your mother in laws ring. How very special for you to have that treasure.
Joy in Jesus! Debbie
Hi Debbie! I really do treasure her rings. It’s like she’s still with me, and I was so elated to have that diamond back. I know it’s a ‘thing’ but it was precious to me.
Thank you for your beautiful prayer, you have such a wonderful way with words.
Have a wonderful night,
Ceil
Wow Ceil what a great story and so true. I remember when you lost the stone and praying that it was found. I too am guilty to remember to invite God into my celebration. I never forget to thank him but that is it. Thanks for reminding me to include him in all celebrations.
Hi Leslie! Thank you for your powerful prayers, they were so helpful!
I just thought about the idea of inviting Jesus into my joyful moments, it sure took me a long time to figure that out! Lol! I don’t think you should feel guilty at all. I just believe it’s a great way to have him more involved in my life events. I bet you’ll see that too.
Hope you are feeling better, and staying warm too 🙂
Ceil
A great story…
I have one too. I got my purse stolen at Walmart two weeks ago Tuesday and two angels, a father and son jumped in their car and followed the two men. They left the car jumped a fence and took off down the railroad track. The father and son looked around and found my purse. They brought it back to me at Walmart… It had my glasses still in it and 76 dollars they failed to find. Of course my wallet and cell phone was missing. . The cell phone was just basic,so they did not get much there!
Yesterday a lady brought my wallet back with most of my cards still in it. I had replaced all of them but my Costco card
It was such an encouragement to me to know how many people out there that are basically honest and good!.
Hi Freda! Oh my gosh, this sounds like a TV show! I can’t believe those men would take your part and chase the robbers. God was so present in those moments, what wonderful people! And you got your wallet back too? I am so happy for you 🙂
It’s so great that you can rejoice with the good you saw, even though you were a victim. God bless all the people who will step out and help someone. Thank you for sharing your story…it’s just amazing! And I thank God that he brought such wonderful people to you to assist. He is an awesome God.
Blessings to you my friend,
Ceil
That’s a wonderful story and a happy ending! I’m rejoicing with you and I know the Lord is too. 🙂
Hi Mari! Thank you for rejoicing with me! It was such a roller coaster of emotions. And I’m so grateful that my daughter found the stone. What a gift!!
Have a peaceful night,
Ceil
Ceil, this makes me smile. Glad you were able to recover you precious stone and what a great lesson you gleaned from it.
Hi Wanda! I’m glad you can smile along with me! It was such a miracle that my daughter found it, such a celebration 🙂
I would like the Lord to join me in my joys, not just my sadnesses. He’s getting an invitation next time!
Happy Thursday!
Ceil
I can’t dance, but I can’t wait to dance with Jesus. Yeah, that may be the first time I don’t have two left feet when I dance.
Hi Bill! I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask him to dance with me when my daughter found that stone. I hope that doesn’t happen again!
I can’t wait to dance with him either…I love the thought that I’ll be like Ginger Rogers 🙂
Happy Thursday!
Ceil
So glad your story has a happy ending! And I love the mental image of doing the happy dance WITH Jesus! Thanks for a smile to start my day, Ceil!
Hi Pam! You and me both my friend. What a miraculous find!
So glad this made you smile (just like your beautiful photo here!). It sure made me happy too. Next time, I’ll be dancing as well 🙂
Have a wonderful day,
Ceil
I’m guessing that He rejoiced with you, His sparkling jewel of a daughter …
Hugs!
Hi Linda! Oh, I do hope so. I was just astounded that my daughter found this teeny little colorless stone. I think my MIL was in on it for sure!
I think we are both his jewels my friend. What a blessing to be loved so well by our Father.
Hugs right back to you 🙂
Ceil
Hi Ceil,
God, our Heavenly Father was there anyway, He sees the end from the beginning and I am sure He was very joyful when He saw the day ahead where your daughter would find that diamond. He cares for and loves us and is the Creator of ‘happy endings’. Amen to dancing in the Spirit with our Heavenly Father. May we all look foreword to the happy ending of our salvation in Jesus.
God bless you
Hi Brenda! What a great perspective, that God knew all along that this would happen, and he provided a miracle for me. That is so true! I hope my joy brought him even more happiness.
Next time though, we’ll be dancing together 🙂
Amen. It will be quite a sight to see our Lord in heaven, what a dance that will be.
Great insights Brenda, thank you!
Ceil
Oh Ceil… what a precious story!! I am SO glad your daughter found the diamond!! And I love your message here… may we truly dance with the one who provides us with the Joyous music to dance to…
Hi Chris! You and me both, my friend. It was a precious stone, but it was also a precious memory for me and my husband. God is so good!
I join you in your prayer that we may dance. You’re so right, he provides the music and the joy. What a wonderful Father we have.
Thank you for visiting today 🙂
Ceil
God is so good!
You’re so right, we often forget to invite Him to our celebrations once we receive an answer to our prayers. At least you did praise Him, sometimes we forget to do that!
Hi Jerralea! Thank you for sharing in my joy. It really seemed like a complete miracle, altho my husband thought we’d find it all along. Yes, I certainly did praise him (I am also guilty of forgetting that too), but now I think I can go one better.
Let’s dance!
Blessings,
Ceil
What an amazing miracle, Ceil. I’m so grateful your daughter found it! And what an inspiring thought to reflect on – to invite God into our joy-party, not just praise Him from a distance. Thank you for blessing me today!
Hi Trudy! It truly was a miracle, I couldn’t believe it. Thank you for sharing in my joy 🙂
I’m glad you saw some value in the idea of inviting the Lord into my ‘happy dance’. I just thought about that recently. I want him to rejoice with me!
Have a great afternoon!
Ceil
With bated breath, I read your story. Somehow I just KNEW that God was going to find that diamond for you. And yes, sure enough, He did. I’ve had some “miracle” stories of finding things, too. And other miracles, too. I’m wondering now, did I act like a child, too? Did I quickly thank the Lord and then run off to do my own thing? I’m afraid that I have, many times.
It’s good to be reminded that the Lord wants more than casual contact with us. So, I’m going to make sure that my happy dances are WITH Him. And, of course, I also need to remember to let HIM lead!!
GOD BLESS!
Hi Sharon! You can exhale now!! I know…it was such a crazy time, and I was so upset. And look how God took are of the whole thing! (I do think my MIL was involved too.) I was just overjoyed to hear that she found the stone.
Good point about him leading! I didn’t even think about that…whatever he wants, that’s great with me. I just want to dance 🙂
Blessings to you my friend,
Ceil
Such a great ending! God knew how much the symbol of that ring meant to you. I love that it was found, but even more, I love the reminder to bring the Lord in to our celebrations of praise when our prayers are answered.
Hi Mindy! I agree! What a huge surprise…I had really figured that I’d never see that stone again. Surprise! My husband was right all along, God wanted us to just rejoice, like the woman who found her lost coin.
Next time, I’ll try to remember to ask the Lord into the party!
Nice to see you my friend 🙂
Ceil
What a wonderful story with an even more awesome meaning! SO glad you found the stone but even happier for the realization of inviting the Lord to be a part of your JOY!
Hi Monica! Yes, it was an amazing experience. I really felt that grace of God in my daughter finding that little stone. And like you said, realizing that I should ask Jesus to celebrate with me…priceless!
Hope the painting is going well. Have a great night 🙂
Ceil
What a beautiful story…and I’m SO glad you have it back! I have been there and done that very thing, only it was the middle diamond from my 25 year anniversary ring from Jim. I wanted to die…went as far as replacing it with a good fake. THEN I found it glistening in the carpet near my bed. It is still in my jewelry box and will one day return it to the jewelers to have the original stone put back in. I have prayed to find lost jewlery more than once…other things lost too. I thanked God for finding it but didn’t think about inviting Him into my joy…I really like that idea! Great reminder and great post 🙂
Hi Debby! What a story!!! And you found it so long after losing it too. We just never should give up, should we? That is AMAZING. Wasn’t it fun to see that ‘glistening’?
I didn’t think of inviting Jesus into my joy until much later. I do think it’s a great idea, and I will try to remember it. Glad you liked it too!
Have a peaceful night my friend!
Ceil
Awesome story—“a dance for two”—YES—I pray daily–remind me–YOU are all I need!
Hi Lulu! We’ll remind each other my friend. The Lord is the most loving, and the most excited for me of anyone on earth! Why wouldn’t he want to join me in a dance of joy?
It’s such a fun picture isn’t it?
Have a peaceful night,
Ceil
Yay….I’m doing a happy dance in my heart right now!! God is soooooo good!!! 🙂
Hi Deb! Great! Let’s all dance 🙂
It was such a surprise to hear that the stone was found. I really thought it was gone forever. But he always knew he’d lead my daughter to find it. Just like the lost sheep!
God is good, you are SO right!
Blessings,
Ceil
Ceil, I can imagine your excite and the joy of your celebration. I have a treasured piece from my Mom who passed away. I would be so sad if I lost it. So happy your daughter was led to the diamond. God is good.
Hi Kim! So you know where I’m coming from then. It’s like a piece of them close to you. Probably sounds silly to someone who doesn’t have the experience that you have.
I was so thankful! God is indeed good, he was a real Father to me. What love that is 🙂
Have a peaceful night,
Ceil
Aww, that is so sweet. Definitely reason to celebrate! I once could not find my wedding ring anywhere. I thought I’d left it at work–at the time I had the bad habit of taking it off when it started bugging me. I called my husband, crying, when I couldn’t find it at work and he looked in my jewelry box. It had fallen down in the box where I didn’t see it. I was SO relieved…and now when I take my wedding ring off, if I can’t put it in my jewelry box, I put it on my keyring as someone I worked with advised me to do.
Hi Stephanie! It really does make you crazy, doesn’t it? These little pieces of metal…but they mean so much. I’m so glad your husband caught sight of the ring, even though it wasn’t in it’s right place. I can only imagine how careful you are now.
Such a wonderful reason to call Jesus into your joy!
Have a restful night,
Ceil
Ceil, I loved this and your application is perfect. I want to dance with my Father. You’re right. Too often I toss a thank you up, but I want to embrace Him with joy and celebrate in His presence. Oh, you touched my heart with this. I’m also glad you found your stone. I had a similar experience with an opal stone in a ring my parents gave me while I was in college, but never found the stone. Blessings and hugs to you!
Hi Deb! Thank you for your kind comment about the post. I think we’ll have to rent a hall and just dance it out with Jesus!
I’m really sorry you didn’t find your opal. Little things mean a lot. I’m so glad you related to this post. May we always invite the Lord into our joy 🙂
Have a peaceful evening,
Ceil
Praise God!! This is wonderful news….I’m so happy for you! The Lord does care about the “things” in our everyday life~~~Big or small, as long as he is first! Blessings~~~Roxie
Hi Roxie! Thank you, it was a wonderful event. I can still remember the phone call. Yes, he does care for us in everything!
May he always be first in my life.
So fun to see you!
Have a peaceful night,
Ceil
This is God. Really. How awesome.
My story is a lot less significant but your story reminded me of it. A few weeks ago, I went to close the zipper of my purse and noticed the little fabric loop to pull the zipper was missing. I was so sad because it makes this purse (my favourite purse really hard to close). I looked everywhere for it and couldn’t find it.
A week later, I was bringing my daughter to her weekly girl guide meeting. I looked down at the sidewalk in front of the school and there it was! It had snowed since her last meeting, the sidewalk is busy, and it’s in front of a school! come on! What’s the odds?! God sometimes uses the smallest of things to charm us and show our love. Your mother-in-law’s diamond is far from small but the size and the possibility of it being found… well… thank you God!
Blessings to you my friend. Thank you for sharing.
xoxo
Hi Jennifer! Oh, it was God all right. How in the world did my daughter see that? And after two weeks!
Your story is really amazing too. It snowed? And people are trudging back and forth and yet, there it was. You must have about died with the shock! How I love your phrase about God wanting to ‘charm’ us. I think that is a lovely way of describing how much he loves us.
Thank you for sharing your story! It’s so fun to hear about how God is moving in our lives every day.
Have a good rest tonight,
Ceil
What a wonderful story Ceil. Thank you. I am so glad that you eventually found the diamond which had a sentimental value worth far more than it’s actual price.
It’s so important to have certain mementoes which remind us of loved ones long gone.
Once again you’ve excelled in showing us the true lesson at the end of your story. How opften do we invite the lord to share in our joy and our thanks.
Brilliant post. Just brilliant.
God bless.
Hi Victor! Thank you for your lovely comment about the post. I think you put it just right, so often our remembrances of loved ones are more precious that the article itself. I know it was true for me with this ring.
It’s funny, but the idea of ‘inviting Jesus into my joy’ didn’t occur to me until recently. It is a really good way to become closer to him. I’m glad you agreed.
Have a wonderful weekend my friend 🙂
Ceil
Well I just love this story. God is so good! It made me think of the time I lost my husband’s wedding ring. He had placed it on a rope for me to wear while he was away completing his army training. One day I looked down and realized it was gone. I pretty much lost it and hubs wasn’t accessible to calm me down. My relationship with God was just beginning at that point . . . He was moving and stirring my heart. The ring was found by someone at the local Jewel and turned in. Imagine my delight!!
Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!!!! Much love. xoxo
Hi Beth! That’s just incredible! That someone would turn in a ring like that…it’s sad, but it seems like most people would just grab it and go. God was watching out for you my friend! I know that jewelry is just a ‘thing’ but it’s really the sentimental value that means the most.
Happy dance that day for you!!
See you tomorrow, can’t wait either 🙂
Ceil
Ceil:
The next time God does something this noteworth, throw some confetti. Sometimes we forget to praise (thank) God for his guidance when we find something we have lost. He knows we are human, yet, He loves us anyway.
Hi Cecelia! I love that! What a great idea, I will have to remember some confetti. Why not really celebrate how good God is? And who doesn’t love a party!
Thanks be to him who still loves me, even though I am so flawed. I tell you, my daughter finding the stone was truly a miracle.
Have a great weekend!
Ceil
Yay! I’ll bet the Lord was doing that happy dance with you!
Hi Michelle! Oh, I do hope so, because I forgot to invite him to the dance. Next time I won’t forget!
Thank you for visiting today 🙂 I look forward to getting to know you better.
Blessings,
Ceil
What a great story and full of hope too. Makes that diamond even more precious to you now doesn’t it?
Hi Jean! No kidding. I don’t wear it as much as I used to, I’m just so paranoid of losing it. I pray I’ll always have it with me.
Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Ceil
I’m so happy for you all … It the the personal value – the memories and the history of the items, that we get attached to, more than the item itself – Yet the item symbolises in such a concrete and tangible way the meaning, the person has had for us, that loosing the item just makes us so sad!
It is wonderful that your daughter caught the glimpse from the ring … and that it is found!
Blessings to you my friend,
Nina
Hi Nina! You are so right. It wasn’t the value of the stone I was so upset about, but what it meant to me. It truly was a miracle that my daughter found it in the carpet. I still can’t believe it. God is so good to me!
Blessings to you too Nina. Thanks for visiting 🙂
Ceil
My wife (briefly) lost her wedding ring one day until we found it in her car. So I can tell you that it’s a very emotional thing.
I’m glad you found it and glad you were thankful. I think if you’re thanking God like that, he WAS with you in your joy-party!
Hi Loren! Thank you for visiting!
So you know the panic your wife felt losing that ring. It’s really not the ring, but what it symbolizes. I’m so thankful you found it so quickly.
I sure hope he was with me, because I didn’t think to invite him in. I hope I don’t ever forget again.
Have a great weekend!
Ceil