Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Something is Missing and I feel Naked

My Mother lost her wedding ring (years ago) while making macaroni salad at the Parish hall. Her wedding ring slipped off her finger while mixing the mayonnaise with the elbow noodles. Nobody ever mentioned biting into a diamond, though many complimented on the exquisite taste.

This morning, while moving some boxes to the back of the closet I felt naked. I looked at my ring finger and my wedding ring was gone. It was a strange feeling to be completely dressed and yet feel naked.. I rubbed the spot on my finger where my ring has been for the last twenty one years hoping I was wrong. It feels so odd losing something that has always been there. My finger feels bald.

Seconds later the carpenter and the plumber came to break down the bathroom's tiled walls, and mount the new sink and old tub. My eyes scanned the floor and surrounding area like a magnet. No ring.

As you are reading this my mind is retracing my steps, my movements… I gotta go. Wish me luck as I go lick every space in the closet…

—-

4 hours later: No ring. I had the plumber check the drain before they removed it. No luck.

—

6 hours later: I never took my wedding ring off (well maybe a few times to show someone but otherwise it was a part of me.) and it never slipped off before.

Comments

93 responses to “Something is Missing and I feel Naked”

  1. Twinkleberry

    You will find it, I am sure. But I know that feeling of complete panic to have lost just a small thing, but such a precious small thing!

    Reply
  2. M-Noëlle

    I’m no good eyes at the moment… and so would not be of great help there…
    But I send you all the keenness of sight you need + many pairs of glasses + torches of all sorts !!!
    Hope it all helps !!!

    Reply
  3. Jeanne

    Oh I do hope you find your rings…………..
    When I was having a colonoscopy done a few years back I had to remove all of my jewellery
    and while under the doctor said I must have my wedding rings and my cross put back on
    phone my son in Seoul and he will tell you where they are.
    Precious sentiments
    With this ring………..
    Good luck darling on the search

    Reply
  4. Billie

    I would speak to St Anthony…
    http://www.luckymojo.com/saintanthony.html
    Good Luck! Billie

    Reply
  5. Debbie Barny

    By any chance, did you make macaroni salad for supper last night? Good luck, you’ll find it!

    Reply
  6. naturegirl

    Corey I’ve been there done that..never did find my ring so I had to replace it. I still think of where it could be..somewhere in this house…I have a kitty who loves sparkle and I’ve always wondered if little paws got at it..I removed it at night due to night hot flashes.My new ring I now keep in a covered container on my bedside table should I remove it..there is always a story behind lost treasures isn’t there!

    Reply
  7. Sheala

    I hope you find it!!!!!

    Reply
  8. Shannon

    Hey, just like losing your glasses. Look under the bed.
    Good luck in finding it!

    Reply
  9. TinaTx

    Oh, I hope you find it soon! Hubby lost his once when he was raking/bagging leaves. He had bagged about 30 bags – I think he went through about 28 before he found it!

    Reply
  10. anna

    I’m praying to St. Anthony for you. He always comes through.

    Reply
  11. Alena

    Corey, look in your bed between sheets, how about pockets of your coat, sweater, inside gloves, even kitchen mittens?! I do hope you find your precious ring!
    Good luck!

    Reply
  12. JulieKP

    That is terrible. I hope that you find it. Nothing is worse than losing your wedding rings.

    Reply
  13. Emma

    Poor you, but you know you will find it… i once lost a ring in a busy shopping centre, I re-walked my steps and had to give up. then while having a cup of coffee trying to come to terms with my loss, i found it, like a miracle attached to my scarf that i had shacken out at least 20 times in the search… someone will be looking after it for you…have faith.
    Emma xxx

    Reply
  14. naomi

    I lost my wedding rings once – I had taken them off once while I was cleaning, I think. I was on the phone while I was doing it and I put them in the jewelry box without even thinking. I had NO memory of putting them there, and it took me a long time to even think to look there. I cried when I found them.
    I hope you find yours, also.

    Reply
  15. Mary

    Did you see it last on your finger OR did you actually take it off and put in down somewhere, you didn’t say? This will make a big difference in your search. I hope so much that it turns up. I never remove my wedding band or diamond, but do have a bad habit of removing whatever ring I’m wearing on my right hand that day if I decide to use hand cream – I’m always searching for that one!!
    How about rubber gloves – did you wear them to wash dishes and could your ring have slid off inside?
    Only good news I see here today Corey is that they must have managed to get that big ole bath tub through the door – yeah!!!!

    Reply
  16. Cindy

    I said a prayer to St. Anthony that you find your ring!!

    Reply
  17. Isabel ~ Maison Douce

    Oh, I will be praying you find it! When my first child was born, my mom gave a beautiful gold necklace with a diamond encrusted heart. I have not taken it out since! A few years ago I noticed I wasn’t wearing it… I had just been at the mall and I thought I would never see it again… A month later, while cleaning up the walk-in pantry, there it was, laying on the floor between two boxes of cereal!! Don’t give up hope!
    Isabel

    Reply
  18. Star

    Ring or not, the love you have is the tie that binds. Hoping you find it soon so your finger won’t feel bald.

    Reply
  19. beachy

    Our dear friend Barbara (who worked in our shop) always called on St. Anthony whenever something went astray in the shop… so I’m calling on St. Anthony for you right now! =) hugs! (Barbara always met with positive results!!!)

    Reply
  20. Margo

    I hope it shows up! I can’t sleep with my rings on part of the year because of occasional eczema. In the morning I always put them on before my feet touch the floor (coincidentally, mine felt a tad tight this am, because I ate too much salted popcorn at the movies yesterday afternoon -that’s a new one for me) A few years ago my engagement ring went down the drain – husband was traveling; I’m not handy at this kind of thing and just didn’t use that sink until my husband got home. I felt totally naked without it. Good luck. I hope it shows up NOW.

    Reply
  21. Dee/reddirtramblings

    I’m sorry. I’ve lost mine a couple of times & it has always turned up. I’ll pray you find it. Have you asked St. Anthony for his assistance? 🙂 ~~Dee

    Reply
  22. Suzanne

    It will appear Corey!
    Remember the last time with the glasses? I know it’s different this time though, cause it’s your wedding ring.
    Anyway, have a word with St.Anthony, he will totally understand!
    Wish you the best of lucks.
    Love*

    Reply
  23. Jill

    Oh Corey I hope you find it!
    Shortly after I was married, I looked down at my hand and although my lovely antique ring was there, the diamond wasn’t! There was nothing but a black hole. I had been everywhere that day, so we never found it. Eventually we bought a new diamond, which also fell out about 20 years later. Now I wear my grandmother’s rings, which are just as beautiful!

    Reply
  24. Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

    Omigosh this is terrible. Not to fret. In situations like this I say, “Think like yourself.” Do you remember taking it off? Like you said, retrace your steps. Even if it appears to be “lost” the prodigal ring will return to you, I am sure of it.
    – Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

    Reply
  25. susanna

    Oh no! I hope you find it, too. Both my husband and I lost our wedding rings a few years ago. I’ve gotten used to not having a ring. I’m actually terrible with losing jewelry which is why I’m fond of ribbons. Still, I wish you all the luck in finding your wedding ring, Corey. Retrace all your steps and ask FH and your son to help you.

    Reply
  26. Lisa

    I lost my engagement ring in a parking lot 20 years ago and found it 4 hours later! So keep the faith that it will be found.

    Reply
  27. martina

    Remember, you found your glasses a whlie back. The ring will show up. Just go through all tissues, towels and the garbage just in case. A friend was close to hysterical. She lost her wedding set somewhere, maybe in a parking lot at the gym. She fretted the whole day I was there. Then her 7 year old daughter decided we should play dressup and got her pink jewelry box. Mom was showing me the daughter’s sparklies when voila..the wedding set! Mom had absentmindedly put it in the box.

    Reply
  28. shannon in oregon

    http://www.zefrank.com/chillout_.mp3
    it helps me when i forget…

    Reply
  29. Denese

    Have you lost weight recently?

    Reply
  30. Marcie

    oh boy,,I know the feeling,,the feeling of looking untill your sick to your stomach. I loose things all the time, when I stop looking and fretting,,,it shows up. Good luck!

    Reply
  31. Merisi

    Good luck, Corey,
    St. Antonio will look out for you!
    My father lost his wedding ring,
    my mother found it while gardening,
    among the roots of some herb.

    Reply
  32. Kris

    Cory,
    I hope you find your ring. I once lost a diamond necklace that my husband bought me. We had taken a trip to visit my husband’s parents and while getting out of the car, my little jewelry case opened up. It was dark and I didn’t see anything fall out of it. When I went to put it on it was gone!!!!! It had snowed so I spent at least 15-to 20 minutes in the snow where I thought the jewelry case opened up. I found it all covered up in the snow. I was so grateful!!
    I will say a prayer so God will help you remember.

    Reply
  33. Chelsea

    Say a prayer to St.Anthony.
    Also – look under things, below things, and above things.
    I’m crossing my fingers for you!!!

    Reply
  34. Marilyn

    Oh no! I do hope you find it.
    My husband lost his ring years ago and found it many years later. He thought it was in the garden, but found it under a chair cushion. Now he has two rings.

    Reply
  35. Dee

    Check under your pillow?…then under the bed. Then check your gloves…it’s been cold where you live…perhaps it came off when you took your glove off? Or even inside your coat sleeve?

    Reply
  36. Jeni

    I wish I could help you look!! My kids say I’m the finder of all lost things. I’m tenacious, or maybe a little OCD. I wish you luck, I just know it will turn up. Did you check inside the boxes?

    Reply
  37. Ulla

    Ohhh, sounds like it may be an expensive bathroom! I hope you find it!

    Reply
  38. ModernGearTVTamara

    Did you tear apart your bed and look underneath it in case it slipped off in the night?

    Reply
  39. Miz Booshay

    Oh Corey,
    It is within 24 inches of the last place you saw it.
    (In a shoe, in a hem, pocket)
    Katie and I always pray to find lost things.
    I will pray right now.

    Reply
  40. Hasmin Cannon

    Corey, I know you will find it. Usually it’s where you least expect it…

    Reply
  41. Evelyn

    So sorry to hear about your ring. I prayed to St. Anthony for you – not sure if that’s a valid 3rd party prayer, but I said it anyways.

    Reply
  42. Sandy

    Corey,
    I came by to catch up and am dismayed to hear the news of you missing ring. Praying you will find it!

    Reply
  43. Die Rabenfrau

    Sorry for your ring! I hope you get it back as I got mine. I lost it in a bus accident last month. My husband had to go into a hospital for two days because of this accident, so I was verry fussy and didn’t notice that before the next evening. Luckily they found my ring in the bus. I was so happy!
    Love
    Rabenfrau

    Reply
  44. Morgan

    Corey long time no talk!!!
    Well just like the last time you lost something I said a little prayer. BOOM you found it that day. Lets try it again!
    Somethings lost,
    Somethings found,
    Please St. Anthony help Corey look around!!!
    Good luck!
    Love you!

    Reply
  45. Erin

    a couple of weeks ago i noticed my ring had gone aol while at work…found it in my glove…it had slipped off as it was so cold and my fingers tend to shrink when its cold…lol
    thank goodness. my hubby would have had my head if i lost mine…hah then i wouldn’t have needed my ring any longer.
    take care.

    Reply
  46. jody

    Corey
    i guess you did not take it off to protect it and forget? sorry to say that but i do things like that when i am in a hurry.
    anyway, one way i find things is to think of the last place i knew i saw the item, and retrace every step i have taken since then. sounds like a day or several days full, but try it if you have not already.
    also look in the garbage, laundry etc.
    post a notice in town or call places you have frequented and ask the lost and found department?
    have you been dancing? a ring fell off my finger that way once.
    do not vacuum, just use a broom or dust mop and it may turn up.
    i will pray for you to find it. i know it is sentimental, especially just celebrating your anniversary.
    Trust God to bless , something good always comes of these things.
    xo jody

    Reply
  47. Candy

    This may sound silly but I figure God knows everything so when I lose something He knows where it is. I usually finally stop and ask Him to show me and nearly without fail I will look and there it is. I say nearly without fail because It hasn’t worked with my mother’s ring I lost – not yet – but I think there’s something bigger going on there and when I get to the point of learning it I will still find it. I figure it’s worth a try. I pray you find it soon. I know exactly how it feels to lose something precious.

    Reply
  48. An Enchanted Cottage

    Corey, you will find it. Don’t give up hope… you might want to ask St. Anthony, patron Saint of Lost Things, to help you find it (and your mom’s ring, too!)…
    If you would like to read my missing ring story, just scroll back a few weeks to the December 23rd post on my blog (although I hope it doesn’t take you 11 years to find your ring!!)… I’ve just said a prayer to St. Anthony, asking him to help you and your mom find your rings… I read your blog daily and although I don’t leave comments very often, I always enjoy your blog – your philosophy, your love of life and family, your incredible photographs… Thank you… All my best, Donna

    Reply
  49. Betty C.

    I was just going to mention my mother’s everlasting prayers to Saint Anthony – -which usually work — but I see a lot of other people have thought about that.
    Courage!

    Reply
  50. carolyn

    Ask St Anthony – it works.

    Reply
  51. carol

    I too am praying that you find your ring, Corey.

    Reply
  52. Caffienated Cowgirl

    Oh, what a heartsick feeling…I hope you find it.

    Reply
  53. maria

    I once lost a gold bracelet and found it exactly one year later. It was in a shopping bag where I kept all my wrapping paper. A year later, at X-mas, when I pulled out the bag to wrap gifts, there was my bracelet at the bottom.
    Check any place where you might have slipped your hand – even places like your bed or under your pillow.
    Good luck – I am sure it is not lost – just misplaced. You will find it !
    maria

    Reply
  54. Deborah P

    Praying you find it.

    Reply
  55. angela marie

    The first time I lost my wedding ring, I was sick. I tore this house up looking for it. Literally tore it up! I was sick for two days, crying and not giving up looking as I continued to tear the house up. My husband couldn’t take it anymore. Our 10 year anniversary was coming up and he decided to get a matching band added to my wedding ring as a surprise. He finally told me what he was doing. He felt horrible. I was just so relieved.
    Another time I was very cold and my finger got small. I was changing the sheets on our bed and felt it come off. But, for the life of me I couldn’t find it. It took me six hours to find it. I stripped the bed and found it inside the pillow case.
    My girl friend couldn’t find her ring for four years. She got some new dishes and found it in an old tea cup in the cup board.
    Corey~ When I am frantic, sometimes I look over what ever I am looking for.
    It is there.
    I will even ask God to show me where I have put something I am looking for. He has shown me in my dreams where it was. Lo and behold when I awake from my dream, I have gone to exactly where I dreamt it would be and there it was.
    You will find it sweetie. Take a deep breath and breathe.
    hugs

    Reply
  56. Michelle

    Oh Corey! That is awful!! I hope you find it! I have the opposite problem as I am pregnant and cannot remove mine. I never remove it, but my fingers are getting so bloated I fear I will loose circulation! Good luck to you, my friend. My latest post made me think of you since it is about wanting to visit France. 🙂
    Michelle xoxo

    Reply
  57. Geralyn Gray

    This happened to me—I hate that feeling—I pretty much gave up. When I went to put a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer—-guess what I found!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  58. Vicki

    Don’t give up…..keep looking. I lost my diamond once…just empty prongs…I frantically looked everywhere, took everything out of my purse shook it and nothing. I was sick but kept praying. Several weeks later (on Valentines Day) I found it in a pocket of my purse snug in the corner. Talk about answering prayers. I also insured it after that episode!!! I will pray that you find it.

    Reply
  59. Laura Ellen

    I once lost my ring in the vegetable bin amongst the lettuce, carrots and celery….it was Christmas and I was rushing about…..I didn’t find it until I next cleaned out my refigerator which I am embarrassed to reveal was in the spring! Good luck! (Today is my 35th wedding anniversary…I know how you must be feeling….so sorry!)

    Reply
  60. Y

    i heard that sudden temperature changes make the fingers thinner/puffer, and that sometimes cause the rings slip off. I hope you will find your ring!!

    Reply
  61. amber

    Aww! I hope you find it, Corey! I know I feel the same way when I take mine off every now and then and forget to put it back on.
    oxox 🙂

    Reply
  62. Alina

    I was hoping there would be an update and that you had found your ring as I feel you will find it!

    Reply
  63. herhimnbryn

    I know you said it’s been cold there recently, which probably means your fingers are thinner? Check bed, gloves, kitchen sink, vacuum cleaner.
    Good luck deares C.

    Reply
  64. Mahala

    Did you check the bedding and under the bed?

    Reply
  65. Deirdre

    Oh, I hope you find – and soon.

    Reply
  66. rositta

    I hope you find it. I dropped mine down a drain at the cottage once when I was there alone. I couldn’t use the water for three days until my husband came up for the weekend and opened the drain. Now a normal kitchen drain i can open but this one was underneath the cottage and hard to get at so I waited for him to do it. I has lost so much weight it just fell off my finger and the drain hole was an unusually large one. Needless to say I had the ring resized after that…ciao

    Reply
  67. Jojo

    I know I am one of many who suggests:
    St. Anthony, St. Anthony, Please come around. Something is lost and needs to be found.

    Reply
  68. Laura

    Oh, Corey how dreadful! What a sickening feeling. I will pray you find it. Keep us posted.

    Reply
  69. Ariane Cagle

    I know how you feel. Last year I hit my ring and one of the posts broke and I lost my diamond. A couple months later we bought a new ring. A month after that, one of the posts on my NEW ring broke and the diamond fell out (at least that time I found the diamond and got it fixed). Then last month I was cleaning the bathroom (which I HAVE done numerous times since losing the first diamond) and I found the diamond. Really strange. So I hope you have good luck, too, and find your ring.

    Reply
  70. Alison

    Good luck to you in your search. I have been there once or twice. I could never bring myself to mention the “misplacement” to my husband. Luckily, I’ve always found the important item.
    Pray to Sts. Jude and St.Martin de Porres in addition to St. Anthony. I will keep you in mine.

    Reply
  71. Becca

    I am so sorry to hear this. I certainly hope it turns up.

    Reply
  72. Karen C

    Corey, I know how you feel. All my rings were taken in a house robbery many years ago and all I had left was my grandmother’s engagement ring which I always kept close to me despite it being a poor fit.
    This Christmas I lost that last link with my family. The irony was that we were celebrating my son’s engagement and my loss felt even keener.
    After searching, back-tracking and enquiring I have little hope that my ring will be found or returned but for some reason I KNOW your ring will be.
    Your blog posts this year have had an eerie parallel to things happening to me and my family at the same time. Hmmm.

    Reply
  73. linda

    Maybe your French Husband slipped it off your finger while you were sleeping so he can replace it with something bigger!!

    Reply
  74. linda

    Hi Corey. Maybe your French Husband took it off your finger while you were sleeping to replace it with something bigger!!

    Reply
  75. Clichy Rose

    St. Anthony, St. Anthony please look around…help Corey find what can’t be found.

    Reply
  76. jill

    Look in your purse, it may have slipped off. I lost a diamond out of my engagement ring. It was in my purse when I dumped it out.
    Maybe it’s in your bedsheets.
    IT WILL TURN UP

    Reply
  77. ceylon sapphire

    hope you find it sooner rather than later….

    Reply
  78. Elaine L.

    Oh! That just sucks! I’m really feeling for you.
    ~elaine~

    Reply
  79. Sunrise Sister

    You obviously touched a nerve with many of us. I was almost in tears when I read this due to my personal experience……I do take my rings off at night because my fingers often swell and they are uncomfortable. Spending the night in a hotel on business shortly after I was married, I left the rings on the nightstand, neglected to re-don them right away, went down for breakfast and when I returned to the room – yep, you guessed it – they were gone. Reporting to the manager he assured me his most honest worker was on duty and there was no way the rings could have been taken…..blah, blah, blah. I cried the whole plane trip long going home. I felt so guilty for neglect, so hard-hearted toward the person who had taken them. I still have a little ache for the “originals” – of course, my spouse replaced them but it made and still does make me so sad. I hope that ring is found and back on your finger. I’ve been thinking about you all day!

    Reply
  80. Toni Mason

    St. Anthony please help Corey find her wedding ring, we promise to sing your praises always.

    Reply
  81. frenchgardenhouse

    Oh! I hope you find it, sweet almost French girl. Have you checked in and under your bed?? I tend to take my ring off in my sleep. Had to pray for three whole weeks before I finally “found” it again. ack.
    so sorry!
    xo Lidy

    Reply
  82. Celeste Coelho

    THERE IS HOPE!
    From a long time lurker in Santa Rosa I am living proof! I lost my grandmother’s ring and kept it from my mother to spare her. Eighteen months later, at the southern tip of the state, shortly after my mother passed I saw a glint in the bottom of a basket I had given my daughter as we unloaded her belongings at her new home. It now lives on a chain round my neck with the BV. Keep looking, you never know.

    Reply
  83. Merisi

    It has been colder than usual in your area. Could it be that the ring slipped off into one of your gloves or coat pockets? Apron? While sorting the laundry, watering the flowers, underneath your Mac? Your desk? Bed?
    Keeping you in my thoughts,
    hugs!

    Reply
  84. Claire

    hello corey,
    just wanted to say that my grandmother lost the diamond from her engagement ring for a long time, years, then one day they found it in the coal scuttle (it was a long time ago!) And I had a lovely watch I lost, I thought I’d left it at work in the bathroom and someone stole it. I found it behind the washing machine three years later – no idea how it got there. Look in places you don’t think you’ve even been!

    Reply
  85. Sher Miller

    …if none of the above works, check the washer, dryer, vacuum bag, under sofa cushions…I do hope you find it.

    Reply
  86. Carole

    Did you check in the boxes that you were moving to the back of the closet? I do hope you find it soon.

    Reply
  87. Betty @ Country Charm

    Corey,
    I’m sorry about your ring…don’t give up hope….
    The first year my husband and I were married I was gardening early morning…when I when in for lunch I had no wedding band on…I was heartsick…I went back out and re-dug the flower bed I had been working in…after several hours I saw something shining…it was my ring…..I pray you find yours, too…..Betty

    Reply
  88. Lea

    I know that feeling and oh man… it is so unsetteling… I hope it shows itself… soon… XO

    Reply
  89. Ren in Az

    Corey- I’m so sorry you lost your beloved ring. Please check between the mattress and bedding. It may have slipped off whilst tucking in bed linens that morning. I’ll say another prayer they show quickly.

    Reply
  90. dkmp9293

    My husband’s aunt lost her ring several years ago. I told her about praying to St. Anthony. She did and the ring showed up at the end of the week! I hope you are as fortunate.

    Reply
  91. Gina

    Oh Corey,
    I will say a prayer to St Anthony for you too. I am terrible at losing things and although he makes me wait St Anthony usually delivers after a few prayers and an offer of money to our local charity St Vincent De Paul. Please let us know if you find it….

    Reply
  92. Cris, Artist in Oregon

    oh no.. I hope you find it. My husband lost his wedding ring last summer. He had lost weight and it had gotten to loose and slipped off somewhere. We searched everywhere. Unfortunately we have a huge field that we had been in and had been for a long walk too & we also have crows who like shinny things. We looked everywhere and finally decided it was gone, even tho we kept looking. Three months later I was pulling up some dying annuals and what do I find right in the middle of the dying plant but his wedding ring. It had been the center of that plant for three months. He put it away till we can size it. He had a bad hand accident after losing it so he hasnt wanted to wear it yet, But at least he has it & we quit looking everywhere we went for it. So hopefully you will find yours too.

    Reply
  93. Ms Danielle Maree

    I always check the vacuum bag and the dust pan (I once lost my house keys while cleaning up and found them hours later in a garbage bag) It makes no sense that it was in there … but there it was.
    **************
    Hi Ms Danielle Maree
    Good advice, I’ll check the vacuum bag!
    C

    Reply

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