It's been a while as I've been outta the "swing" of things guys, but this one I had to post.
Several years ago, I found a class ring from my own Alma mater in a park. It was class of 2005 with no initials, just a football icon. (I am certain I posted the story here but for some reason, I cannot locate it.)
My 1st reaction was to call the school. Knowing this is a small school that didn't have enough kids for both a Varsity and JV team; I figured it would be easy to locate the righteous owner. I queried the internet looking for the roster but had a hard time so I decided to call the school. The administrator’s office requested I bring the ring in and give it to them. No. That was not how this was going to work as I wanted something – the same thing we all want, a picture with me returning it to its owner.
I asked around as I did know one kid on the team, however, no such luck.
The ring sat around for a few years collecting dust.
This year, my youngest son played football and while I was at an away game, I mentioned it to a couple that also had a son on the team – her son, I knew and always liked. I was hesitant as I did not really know the parents and I knew they had experienced the biggest fear for every parent – they had lost a child in a terrible accident.
This particular game, for some reason, I brought up the ring even though there had been other opportunities. The mother was very curious, especially when it was determined that her son would have graduated in 2005 the same year as the ring. He was also a football player. She told me quite positively, that she knew every kid on that team, was in contact with most and would most certainly locate the owner.
A month passed and nothing. She was actively searching and said that at Thanksgiving she would find the owner as most kids returned home to their families. Eventually, she asked me what color the stone was (I was a bit secretive as I wanted the owner to tell me the color – that was the only identifier to confirm). I told her….although it was obscure, so I sent her a pic. We confirmed that these stones are near always birthstones, so I looked up the month.
When she told me this was the same birthstone/month of her deceased son, I got goose bumps. Her next statement to me made them larger – she said, that is the exact ring my son would have had if he graduated! OK, this was auspicious indeed.
With a team so small, only one icon and a birthstone, how many kids could really have owned this? Maybe there was a few but we had really narrowed the list of eligibles. I doubt there were more than 30 kids in the entire football program that year!
She told me there was at least one kid who had lost a ring but the stone color was not accurate.
She felt as though this was not a chance encounter. For me to approach her and her husband on this ring and no one else on the team was not happenstance, it was a message from her son. To this, I could NOT disagree. This was fate and a message indeed.
Months more passed and I stayed in intermittent contact with her but there was no success at all. Defeated, near 5 months after my initial approach to her, she said, I guess I can’t find the owner. It really was a sad situation.
I did nothing. The ring sat on my end table next to my bed for another month or so.
My older boy works in the sports field – strength and agility training. He mentioned that their son was a student in one of his classes. When this came up, I immediately knew the right thing to do; I prepared this letter and had my son deliver it to her boy.
“I’d like you to have this ring as it represents much more to the two of you than I. In the event you do locate the owner, I am certain you will return it to them. In the meantime, or perhaps forever, please have it.
It truly was ironic that I approached you on this item – I had no idea it was a year of significance much less a birthstone of significance – meant to be? I do not know.
One thing I will say – I am SSSOOO glad I did not bring it to the school as originally requested – it just seems to belong to you.
Thank you for your pursuit and attempt in locating the owner – an apparent ghost or invisible man!”
Her response was priceless as she messaged me:
Aaron. I have to thank you for letting me take care of the ring until we can hopefully find its owner. It is very special to me and believe a message from [son’s name].
Metal Dectectorists do good work guys. Keep it up!
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Sometimes you just get that feeling of what you should do. After all, the items we find are just collectibles to us in the broader scope of things, but to someone who has a deep personal tie to them, they are priceless. Nice to see you are doing ok Aaron.
