Recovery of the Ring
John Smistad
©
Copyright 2018 by John Smistad
|
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The
wedding ring is an important symbol of a loving marriage.
Don't I know. May you enjoy this true story
from my life.
I was
swimming in Priest Lake, Idaho, several years ago when my wedding ring
slipped off my finger and disappeared under water and into the sand
below. Despite my tenacious attempts to recover my gold band, I
could not. Dejected, I left it for lost.
Fast
forward to the next summer back at Priest Lake. This time my
brother, Eric, had brought a metal detector. I thought, "Hey,
what the heck. Let's give it a shot here, bro."
So off we
went to the same area where I had last seen my coveted ring a full
year ago now. After thoroughly combing the area with the waterproof
device, Eric and I determined it wasn't going to happen, and we
prepared to give up our mission empty-handed. Just then, we suddenly
got a read under the sand. A fairly strong one. I dove beneath the
waves, plunged my hand into the lake bottom and dug deep. As the
sand and water drained from my unclenched fist, I was absolutely
astonished at what was revealed. For there in my palm it lay. My
long lost wedding ring! And none the worse for wear at that.
Spontaneously
I unleashed a ferocious "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!".
My rapturous vocal explosion reverberated with a stirring echo all
up and down the south end of the vast mountain lake.
The hoard
of family members and friends communing at my parent's cabin, which
stood across a channel from where my brother and I were, certainly
had heard my dynamic outburst. They began to gather together on the
front lawn. I had shared with all of them my plans for a last-ditch
attempt to recover my priceless piece of jewelry with the detector. We
all knew full well how overwhelmingly slim the odds were of the
hunt yielding success. Which made the celebration all the more
gleeful, everyone stirred by the astonishing realization that we were
all witness to a genuine "minor miracle".
The
reality of this ultimately unlikely experience reached it's pinnacle
after we rocketed our row boat across the strait like it was powered
by a jet engine. For it was then that I was reunited with my
precious wife, Teri, who was completely consumed with a mile-wide
smile, combined with tears of pure joy.
John
Smistad is a
published author of short stories, movie reviews, essays and poems. He
lives with his beautiful wife, son, cat and dog in The Puget Sound area
of Washington state.
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author's name
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