If you guessed it was my wedding ring that was lost and found, you got it.  Actually Elaine from Frankfort, Indiana got it first.  I wasn’t trying to drag the story out any further than necessary, I just wanted a little extra time to gather some of the elements–namely pictures and names to make it extra special.  

The doorbell rang yesterday and it was Teri Smith, from Zoots Dry Cleaners in Wellesley, Massachusetts.  “Is this yours?” she asked holding up my wedding band that had been lost for weeks.

“Oh my God!” I said.  “C’mere.  Give me a hug.  I had just about given up on that.  Oh you don’t have any idea how happy I am and relieved.”

“I can tell,” she said as we embraced.  

We had a nice chat about the importance of paying it forward, like the movie Pay it Forward.  I’m a big believer in people coming into each other’s lives at just the right time, for reasons they don’t always understand.   Really I had no clue when I saw the purple Zoots delivery van pulling into the driveway that I was getting anything other than my cleaned laundry.

Teri doesn’t think what she did was that big of a deal.  But it is.  I wasn’t right without my ring.  It’s like being halfway to work and realizing you don’t have deodorant on.  You’re out of balance.  Now I’m back in balance.  Thank you Teri.  You made my day.

My book, The Marrow in Me comes off the presses next week.  So much of the story line is about paying it forward, being open to the goodness of the people around you, doing the right thing and being generous of heart.  I’m going to leave a signed copy of it for her when she comes back to the house for our weekly pickup and drop off.  I think it’ll make her day, don’t you?

I lost something two weeks ago.  Not that I’ve been lost since, but I’ve certainly been out of balance.  I had just about given up the search when the doorbell rang this morning.  It was the dry cleaner dropping off more than my laundry.  Apparently I left something in the laundry bag.   I feel much better now and so does my wife Jean.  I will have a much more detailed story account tomorrow.  But any guesses as to what was lost and found?  And you if you have a good lost and found story, share it below.