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Today I received my Father’s Day present from my wife. It’s a week or so early, but she was anxious for me to receive it, and to be honest, so was I. To understand why, I must go back to a couple of months ago. Back before my trip to Virginia. Back to March of this year and my trip with my two sons to Legoland. As I started thinking about this post, I realized that I never actually finished my story of our trip out to Carlsbad. Not that there’s much to tell. No, really, there’s not much to tell. Except for a somewhat perspective changing event that took place in the morning, our trip back home was…well…just a trip back home.

If you’ll remember, we camped in a campsite that was right next to the beach. So in the morning of our final day, the boys and I changed into our swimming suits and went down to the breaking surf. Well, actually, Radio didn’t change into a swim suit. It was still his judgement that the water was, in his words, “cold.” Considering what was about to happen, I believe he was the smartest kid on the face of the Earth on that day. He was right, it was cold. But that wasn’t the only reason to avoid going into the water.

I was determined, and so was BionicleBoy, to do some ocean swimming. I mean really, what good is an ocean for if not to swim in? Even if the water causes severe shrinkage, it’s almost a moral imperative to go out there and swim. At least it is for guys. And I have made it no secret that I am, in fact, a guy. Proud of it, too. So much so that I have been known to flaunt my guyness right in public. And this day was to be no exception.

You people with the dirty minds can stop thinking what your thinking right now!

I decided that I wasn’t just going to get in the water. I was going to do some serious body surfing. I made it a point to catch at least one wave and ride it all the way in. In order to do this, I had to go far enough out into the water to actually catch the wave. Which meant getting completely, totally, bone-chilling wet. I marched my hairy butt into the oncoming surf with gusto. Each passing step seemed to echo the stupidity of my goal, though. The deeper I went, the more the ocean reminded me of just exactly how cold it really was. By the time the water was to my chest, I was having trouble catching my breath. But I’m a guy, darn it! And a guy’s got to do what a guy’s got to do.

So I pushed myself further out into the ocean until finally I was at the point where the waves were just beginning to crest, and I could catch a wave. And catch one I did. Remarkably, I caught the first one I decided to take. It was a great ride. Not a long one, but a good one. It took me all the way to the shore. I rode that thing up the sand like a beached whale. That’s when IT happened.

Like a thief who lures his victims into a false sense of security by becoming their best friend, and then swiping their valuables when they least expect it, the ocean slipped my wedding right off my finger and pocketed it. A band I had kept on my finger for 11 years was whisked away from me in an instant. The wave immediately buried the symbol of my marriage in the sands beneath the surface of the water. My heart sank as quickly as the Titanic. I grasped around trying in vain to locate it. But it was no use. The ring was gone. Taken from me the moment I let my guard down, thinking I was safe. It had never even occured to me that I should take the ring off and place it with my other valuables that I had left up on the rocks. I was devestated.

I spent the next fifteen minutes praying and hoping. I figured if the Lord could bring Jonah out from the belly of the whale; if He could part the Red Sea and allow the Israelites to cross on dry ground; if He could heal the sick and give sight to the blind; then He knew exactly where my wedding ring was at that moment. So I prayed and asked, if it was His will to do so, to wash my ring up onto the shore and return it to me. I searched, but it was not to be. The Pacific had taken my ring, and I had learned a very powerful lesson that day.

In the course of our lives, we can let things get in the way of what’s truly important. We can become too comfortable, and let down our guard. The things that this world can bring us can become distractions, and if we are not careful, the very precious gifts and treasures we do have can be taken from us. I am no longer talking about simple material items. The ring was a piece of metal. It was just a thing. But it was a symbol of a very precious bond and union that I have made with my wife. The ring can be replaced. But the loss of the ring showed me that if I’m not careful, the waves of life and my foolishness can cause me to lose something far more precious; my wife and my children. I don’t care what anyone says, marriage is a wonderful thing. I don’t know what I’d do without my family.

This brings me to today. Today, as I mentioned, my wife gave me my Father’s Day gift early. It’s a new wedding ring. The previous one was interesting. Not a standard band, but a series of interlocking circles that weaved around the wearer’s finger. This new one isn’t your standard wedding ring, either. It’s very different, even from the original. Most people might not even consider it a real wedding band, but it’s remarkably cool. It has some imagery on it that depicts a particularly important story that is detailed within the scriptures of my church.

The story depicted here is called “Lehi’s Dream.” It teaches us that the scriptures can be a guiding iron rod in our lives, leading us on the straight and norrow (and safe) path through the dark mists of life, and away from the foundationless doctrines of men and the devil, to ultimately partake of the fruit of the Gospel and have everlasting joy. If you would like to read more about this bit of scripture, you can find it here. It’s a wonderful reminder of how we can be happy, as well as a new symbol of my everlasting and eternal marriage to my wife. So to my wife, I say thank you. I know you were afraid I would not like the ring, or that I would not think it appropriate for a wedding ring. But the truth is just the opposite. I am very happy with this ring. I am even more happy with my marriage to you, and I look forward to spending eternity with you.

In stark contrast to the very meaningful gift my wife gave me, and another testament to my guyness, I finally gave my wife the Mother’s Day gift that I had been helping my children make for her. By “helping” I of course mean “doing all the work.” We made her a clock. It’s a simple thing, but nice and hand-made and it has a picture of the children and our dog on there (see below). But it’s nowhere near what she gave me, and it was late. So I am still way behind her in the points, here. Needless to say, I have some catching up to do.

Incidentally, the clock kit can be purchased at Wal-Mart for a mere $5.00. It includs the hands, numbers, and a quartz movement time device. Unfortunately, it did not come with a flux capacitor, which everyone knows would have allowed me to travel back in time and give this to my wife actually on Mother’s Day. But that’s Wal-Mart for you.