By Sandra Mann

Have you ever reached a point in life where you thought, “If one more thing goes wrong, I’m going to break”?

That’s exactly how I felt the day I lost my wedding ring in the yard.

It was the summer of 1993, and I was living through the hardest season of my life. My husband was a full-time college student about to start his senior year, working a minimum-wage job just to keep us afloat. Both of our cars were broken down. Our six-week-old baby had severe reflux and had to be watched constantly to make sure he didn’t aspirate in his sleep. And worst of all, we had just buried our two-year-old son eight weeks earlier after a tragic accident. I was completely broken, emotionally and spiritually. I didn’t know how to move forward.

Then—just to top it off—I lost my wedding ring.

It wasn’t fancy, but it had deep meaning. My mother-in-law had given it to us as a gift, hoping it would someday be passed down as a family heirloom. That made it irreplaceable.

All I had done was go outside to help my neighbor untangle a garden hose her kids had played with. I had just finished doing dishes and put lotion on my hands. Fifteen minutes later, I looked down—and the ring was gone.

We searched everywhere. My neighbors joined in. We combed the yard on hands and knees with flashlights. We borrowed a metal detector and found old washers and pennies, but no ring. We ran our hands inch by inch over the ground. Still nothing. And it wasn’t like we were searching blindly—we knew it had to be where I had helped with the hose. But it wasn’t there.

Eventually, I broke down.

Through tears, I cried out, “Isn’t this enough already? Haven’t we suffered enough? Haven’t we tried to be good? Haven’t we tried to stay hopeful and positive through all of this heartbreak? Why one more thing?”

All I wanted was peace. All I wanted was to feel happy again.

My husband pulled me into his arms as I sobbed in the yard. I had no idea at the time what it meant to be “in vibration” with something, or how our energy can align with solutions. I just knew I was at my limit. I couldn’t carry any more. I was done.

Then something shifted.

My husband gently took my hands and led me to a quiet corner of the yard. He knelt down with me and said, “I don’t know where your ring is—but God does.” He offered a simple, sincere prayer. He gave thanks for the help we’d received over the past two months, explained what we were facing now, and humbly asked for the Lord’s help.

And something in me softened.

I calmed down. My heart felt lighter. He stood up and said, “Let’s keep looking. It’s going to be OK.”

Less than five minutes later, our neighbor came running up to us, holding the ring and shouting, “I found it! I found it!”

We couldn’t believe it.

The ring had been in the only bare patch of dirt in that part of the yard—a one-foot-wide circle surrounded by grass. Everyone had looked there. We all had, multiple times. I had personally run my hand over that exact spot. But now, there it was.

We gathered again and prayed—this time full of heartfelt thanks.

That moment changed me.

It brought me back into harmony with God’s will for me. I started to feel again. I began to recognize the miracles in my life and the countless ways I was still being blessed. God wanted me to be happy. Yes, opposition is part of life—it helps us grow. But we don’t have to be miserable the whole way through. And we are never alone in our trials.

Looking back, I truly believe I needed to lose my ring—that one more thing—so I could realign with the Lord, regain perspective, and tune into the deeper vibrations of divine love and eternal purpose.

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