LOST

The end of my school semesters always bring a sigh of relief and a surge of cleaning to get the house back up to at least minimal standards in order to keep the Board of Health from shutting us down.   Yesterday I got up early and became a whirlwind -- cleaning carpets and washing bed linens -- scouring bathrooms and sanitizing the whole house.  (I even thought about sorting the garage -- but gave up on it)

IT was a day of highs and lows --About 10:00 I found out we'd won the Outdoor Christmas light decoration contest for our neighborhood -- I'm big on twinkling lights --I'd like to think they can see us from Heaven.

 About noon I looked down and saw that my diamond had fallen out of my engagement ring!!! EVERYTHING came to a screeching halt and I became like that woman in the Bible who was sweeping her whole house looking for the lost coin--  Same whirlwind I was earlier in the morning -- only this time --I was picking through trash -- sifting through the lint in the vacuum cleaner bag -- and searching through the washing machine's filter-Terry stopped everything and took over the vacuum bag -- while I retraced my steps through the house over and over. 

Twenty years ago -- I lost another diamond -- and since that time have checked mine periodically and even had the prongs examined by a jeweler. 
Forty years of marriage -- two diamonds lost -- but I still have my MAN!!.
That woman long ago in the parable -- I'm pretty sure she was destitute -- her life DEPENDED upon finding that coin!!!

 I'm sad -- and find myself preoccupied with looking for anything that glistens--do you know how much sparkly there is on the floor at Christmas???

Throughout the day I remembered that there have been other losses this week-- so much worse than mine . . .

A KU intern lost her mother in a tragic way

Another friend was given a timeline of his days left on this earth

 . . . I do have to admit that when I look at my ring -- it makes me  sad.  

It dawned on me while I was working frantically --caught up in cleaning -- this had gone on and I was totally oblivious to it.  It got me to thinking -- how many other -- hidden happenings are all around me that I'm not noticing because of being so caught up in my activity of the moment? 

When we prayed last night, I said -- Lord you know that people are lost and you know where lost things are -- LORD, please help me keep it all in the right perspective.