Spoken For

Beating the Odds. It was close to 10pm when Yuni picked us up from SFO airport on our way back from Cancun, Mexico. That was when iMel paused from walking to the minivan and blurted out that she had lost her wedding ring. When I saw her face, I knew, she was not kidding. She had wore it on her pinkie during the flight because her fingers had swollen due to pregnancy. She thought the ring might have rolled off while dozing off on the plane, or perhaps it was left behind in the restroom at the baggage claim while helping Abbie putting on warmer clothes before heading out of the airport. iMel tried to reenter the baggage claims restroom but for security reasons, airport authority wouldn’t allow that. She went to the Virgin Airlines counter but they could only take down her name, contact and description of the ring. After few days of continuous follow-up with the lost & found at the airport and the Virgin Airlines personnel, the chances of getting the ring back looked pretty slim. “I am sorry Mam, even if someone found the ring, with an expensive item like that, most likely people wouldn’t return it. The chances of not getting it back is close to 99%.”

I thought about comforting her, by saying I will buy her a replacement ring. But we both know that the new ring wouldn’t have the same meaning. The lost ring was blessed on our wedding day in front of our family and friends and in the presence of God. How can I make retribute for something so symbolic?

The only resort was to turn to God. We knew God has the best plan for us and that there was something for us to learn here. We prayed mightily for His divine intervention and that we had faith in Him who could do miracles. We prayed that He would rebuke anyone who would take the ring and for softening the heart of those who recovers it.

Three days passed. No return calls, no news, nothing. It was then, when I sorted out the luggage, I saw a ring in that pile of dirty laundry. In disbelief, I checked the engravings of my name and her name again and again and still couldn’t believe how it had gotten there. All I can say was there was much kissing and hugging, not just because the ring was recovered, but God can beat the odds.. again.