This is the beach in Oak Bluffs, this is where we always went when I was growing up.   I remember one time in particular when I was there with my parents when I was about three or four years old.   After playing in the water with my dad and digging in the sand with my mom we started gathering up our blanket and things to leave.   All of a sudden my mother gasped and yelled for my father… “my diamond ring is gone” she said in alarm.  My dad immediately took charge of the situation by telling me NOT to move, just stay put.   I quickly rushed over to the people nearby and told them my mother had just lost her ring in the sand and my father was going to find it.   So much for listening.  They, along with other beach goers who had heard me, started to get up to help my father look for the ring.   “No” he said.. “don’t walk on the sand, if the sand is disturbed any further the ring will sink lower, I think I might have only one chance to find it.”  We all held our breaths as he surveyed the situation and then after what seemed like an eternity (especially to me who was staying still) he scooped up a handful of sand.   Miraculously there, shining out from the sand was my mothers diamond engagement ring.  I’m still amazed that he found it, how did he know where to look, how had my running through the sand not made it sink lower.   I’m sure that ring was being watched over somehow.

Fast forward to a year or so ago when Deb lost a necklace on one of our neighborhood walks.   She discovered the necklace was missing as we neared our house so we retraced our route in hopes of finding it.   The street was littered with autumn leaves which made our search difficult and we finally gave up looking for it.  The next day on our walk Deb looked skyward and said “how about a little help here grandpa!”  She no sooner said those words then she looked down and there was the necklace.   It had been run over and the clasp was flattened but the beads were all intact… it was fate.   She sent the necklace back to the woman who had made it and she put a new clasp on it and it’s good as new. 

We don’t call on my dad everytime we lose something but if it’s jewelry we know he has the knack for knowing right where to guide us to look.