Gone Missing

This story is a little late...but I want to tell it anyway. Rhett is home from his 3 week field op (which was a huge success) and we are not getting back into our normal routines slowly, now that he is home, his vacation time is up, and he's back to work like normal and I am no longer home alone all day. But all was not always well at home during his absence.

While Rhett was gone, I tried to find lots of things to occupy my time. I played piano, drew, played games, took care of our sweet little kitty Tony, and occasionally did something I don't normally do. I set aside an entire day for cleaning.

This is abnormal because, since I have no job, I usually spread my cleaning out over a week so that I have more things to do each day. But that particular week, I thought I felt that it would be a good idea to get the whole apartment clean in one day so that I could just relax and not worry about dishes or laundry or dirty toilets; so on my Thursday to do list went "Clean Apartment."

Thursday rolled around and I woke up early and oddly excited that I was going to have a clean apartment. As I do when I always clean, I took my wedding ring off and set it on my nicely made bed so that it had no chance of falling down drains, being swept away or accidentally knocked into garbage cans, sinks, or on floors. Thus, the bed was the go-to spot for time when I was cleaning bathrooms, scrubbing walls, mopping on hands and knees, etc.. 

With my ring safely in its "spot" I started with the kitchen. Dishes done. Counters cleared. Everything put away. Good. Next, the living room, then the spare room, bedroom and last, the bathrooms. I started with the main bathroom, since it's bigger and used much, much more frequently. Shower, sink, toilet...check! Then I moved on to the smaller bathroom in the spare room, and once that was done I pulled out the vacuum. I waited to vacuum because I knew I'd be running around and sweeping and it just made sense to vacuum once everything was done. Although, my vacuum is more of a dust expelling machine....

Anyway, I pulled out the vacuum and walked into the room to grab my wedding ring since I was done and felt safe putting it back on. I walked in the room and looked on the bed and my heart stopped. 

Now, I'm sure you were all expecting this, but I was not. How does a ring get off of a bed when no one has touched it? I was the only one home, and I've always placed my ring there when cleaning, so why was it gone now?

I panicked. I panicked and cried and ran around like a headless chicken. I have not been more terrified for a lost item before in my life. Yes, it was just a ring, and no I did not need it, but that ring is more precious to me than anything save my family and religion.

What could possibly have happened to my ring? Again, I was the only one home!! Then it hit me. The cat. He always gets really playful, antsy, and crazy when I clean; since I was cleaning the whole house that day he was pretty riled up. That had to be it. The cat jumped on the bed, saw my ring, and either picked it up and took it somewhere or he ate it.

I thought and hoped the ring was to big for the cat to eat, so I started looking where all the cat's hiding spots were.

I began to panic more and more and I searched and searched the house and tore apart every little thing I could. I searched every room in my entire home. I lifted everything. I made a mess out of my freshly cleaned apartment. I cried some more. I panicked some more. I had a hard time breathing.

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have been taught to pray always, when happy, sad, in trouble or...not breathing due to a panic attack. The thing was..I had been praying. I prayed in every single room and every two seconds and I could barely get any words out for prayers because I was so nervous, scared, and panicky. I wanted that ring. I needed it.

Then, some simple advice from a friend came via text: "Pray until you can think straight. Once you can think straight, keep praying. Don't stop." So that's what I did. I prayed and prayed until I calmed down. My breathing returned to normal, the tears stopped, and I could think. In my cleared state of mind, I turned to some other personal and very precious things for advice and, as I did so, I remember something else I'd learned at church that came with prayer. You don't just pray, you listen. You wait and you listen for an answer. So that's what I did. I got down on my knees for like, the thousandth time, and I prayed once more. Then I stopped, and I listened. 

Now, this was when I learned that listening is hard, especially when you don't quite know what you are listening for, and you don't quite know any longer what thoughts are your own and what thoughts are sent to you or divinely inspired. As I waited and listened, I kept having a repeated thought "lift what you haven't yet."

What? Lift what I haven't? I'd searched the whole house! I moved the couch even! What haven't I lifted? Then I found myself in the kitchen/dining area and looked at the litter box, sitting inside its larger cardboard box to contain the mess and next to another large cardboard box holding a litter broom, scooper, and extra litter. Now, this may be gross, but I had already scooped the little and dumpster dived through my entire garbage, so I knew it wasn't there.

As I began to walk away from the litter box the thought came again. "Lift what you haven't yet." Again...what?! What haven't I lifted? So I turned back and looked at the boxes in disbelief. All I could think was "There's no way..." as I reached down to pick up the cardboard box holding the broom, scooper, and extra litter. This was the only thing I hadn't moved in the apartment yet so....

Breathe held and muscles tense, I slowly raised the box and peeked underneath. 

I can not possibly put into words the joy and tears that left me once I saw that ring under there. I have never said so many thank you's and prayers than that day, and I am still saying thank you to my Heavenly Father for that little voice that gave me just the right clue.