Tuesday 3 November 2009

The ring of happiness

This is a story I've been wanting to share with you for months and months but I needed it to be complete before I did so, and that happened today when my relatives came up from Yorkshire to stay in our house while we are in Italy for a week.
When I was 13 years old my mum gave me the gold signet ring that her father had given her when she became a teenager. I loved the ring, it was the first piece of real jewellery I had and a connection with the grandfather who died about a year after I was born. I wasn't allowed to wear the ring for school but I did put it on as often as I could and wore it constantly during school holidays. After a couple of years I lost the ring. I was in the harvest field with my dad and my youngest brother who was a toddler, I bent to pick him up and the ring must have caught on his clothing because it fell off my finger into the stubble. I searched for a long time but it was an impossible task and finally I gave up. I made a note of the location by counting the number of trees in the arcade of chestnuts that ran alongside the field and the number of corn stokes in the opposite direction. I went back again on other days to look and my cousin, who sadly died three years ago, helped in the search. My dad looked when the field was ploughed but the ring never turned up. Over the years I often felt sad to have lost this ring, I did think about buying another but it wouldn't have been the same.
Early this year I had a phone call from my sister in law, who I'd told the story at some stage, to say that a man had been metal detecting in the field and found a gold signet ring with the initials EL, my mum's. He was anxious to try and find the owner and had phoned my brother and his wife to see if they could help. They checked with me and I confirmed it was the one I lost 45 years ago. The metal detector man (MDM) lived about 50 miles from my brother so it was decided not to risk posting the ring and he delivered it to the farm when he was there again a few weeks ago. I'm sorry the photographs are rubbish, I need to read my camera instructions but I also need to pack.
I can't tell you how happy I am to have it back, I never ever thought I'd see it again. My mum died almost 30 years ago, I wish she knew, I wish my cousin knew, and I wish MDM knew just how wonderfully kind he has been, he could so easily have cashed the ring in for scrap value. I'll write to him as soon as I get back from Italy and tell him how overjoyed I am, and I truly am, it's a dream come true.
So early in the morning (6.30 am flight apparently) I'm off to Italy for a week, for safety I'll leave the ring at home. Be back soon.

18 comments:

  1. What an amazing story! Fantastic. I am sooo very happy for you....a wonderful ending
    Hugs Karen x x x

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  2. What a lovely, lovely story. Just what I neede to read this evening, after a particularly tricky and tiring day with the little people at school! So pleased for you. Have a great trip to Italy! :D Ros

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  3. Thats totally amazing. I can't believe things like this happen in real life. I'm so pleased for you. xxx

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  4. What a wonderful story. I'm sure that they do know you've got it back. Bon voyage!

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  5. All the adjectives I was thinking of using have been used already - amazing, fantastic, wonderful!

    Enjoy Italy (I'd love some proper Italian strawberry ice cream!)

    By the way, I've nominated you for a blogging award - see my last post for details. You're not obliged to accept!

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  6. How utterly amazing! What a story that ring has, oe that I am sure will be told over and over again for many many years.

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  7. Such a happy story. I can understand your hapiness so well because I keep loosing things, mainly because I moved house several times in the last years and I lost a lot of things in the process. Some of them I found later in the middle of a lot of tears, some I didn't find yet and it hurts me even if I keep hoping.
    I'm so happy you found it.
    Thanks be to God.
    Alfazema

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  8. What a wonderful story! What a very lucky person you are !!

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  9. How great for you to have your special ring back after losing it all those years ago. A wise decision to leave it at home, I think!

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  10. What a really lovely story with such a happy ending. Things like this renew your faith in humanity.

    Have a good trip! x

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  11. That is an incredible story, Jenny...breathtaking, like a love story! So very glad you got the ring back. Wow! Thank you for sharing this beautiful story of yours and your family's. Be safe on your journey and enjoy your time in Italy! Will look forward to catching up with you when you get back. :o) ((HUGS))

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  12. ...what a wonderful wonderful story...quite magical...I am so pleased for you...have a good holiday

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  13. That's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. You must be over the moon. A one in a million chance.

    Years ago I lost my grandparents wedding ring on a beach, but never ever found it. I spent years kicking myself afterwards.

    Have a fabulous time in Italy!

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  14. What a lovely story. So pleased for yuo. Enjoy Italy!!

    Zannah

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  15. what an amazing story. enjoy your time away.

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  16. So glad that your ring returned to you. How special, I'm sure that your Mum knows and is happy too!
    I'm also so happy that you were in Italy!!
    Thanks for stopping in at Bevery Cottage. Drop by again soon, as I will be posting our travel blog from Italy and France! M~

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  17. Jenny, how amazing is that, to find something so cherished, after all those years........
    I wonder if maybe MDM didnt have some help from someone special.
    Enjoy ur visit to Italy..............
    Tracey xox

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  18. How wonderful, that is such an amazing story.

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