Hi, I’m Angie. My memoir “Girl in the Spotlight” will be published by Publish Her in October 2023. Subscribe to Hello Friday be the first to hear when the book is available for pre-order.

In the summertime, my friend Megan and I go for early morning runs. You may recall that when we started our runs last summer, I fell flat on my face.

Day one was eventful this year, too.

Moments before Megan arrived at my house, as I pulled clothes out of the dryer, one of my earrings flew out and bounced across the hard floor. I searched the basket of clean clothes, pulling each item out one by one in search of its match. I got down on my hands and knees and crawled around before finally lying flat on my stomach—eye level with the ground. No earring.

When Megan arrived at my door, I told her what happened. She told me about a prayer she always says when she loses something. A prayer that her family has recited for as long as she can remember. “We pray to St. Anthony. My grandmother would always say, ‘Tony, Tony, look around. What’s been lost will now be found.’ It works!” she said.

I spent the better part of the day searching for the earring. Each time I took a break or stopped to tend to other responsibilities, the words look around, what is lost will be found resurfaced in my mind. I exhausted every possibility. I looked inside the barrels of the washer and dryer. I pulled the appliances away from the wall. I looked behind them and underneath. I searched my closet and crawled around on my bathroom and bedroom floors. I searched places that didn’t seem logical, like underneath the sofa and between the cushions.

Nothing.

Then something told me to check the dryer’s lint trap one more time. I pulled out the screen, grabbed a flashlight and looked down, deep inside the lint trap dungeon. I saw something shimmer. I used anything I could find—a ruler, a barbecue skewer—in an attempt to extend my reach.

I finally texted a neighbor who showed up at my door with a nifty grabber tool. I used this amazing grabber invention to pull out a tiny mountain of old lint, my son’s cubic zirconia earring, and his long lost silver necklace. Then, I saw more sparkle. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. There it was—my earring—resting at the bottom of the lint trap dungeon (which was now 100% lint-free).

I texted Megan, “It worked!!”

Did an angel help me find it? Or did the prayer simply reinforce the belief that I would indeed find it? It’s possible that both things are true. All I know for sure is that even after hours of searching, I didn’t lose heart. I never said to myself, “This is a lost cause.” The prayer strengthened my resolve. The voice in my head wasn’t a critical one, berating me for being irresponsible with something so valuable. Instead, it said: Keep looking. What you’re looking for is here. You’re so very close. You’re going to find it.

I believe in miracles, but I never expected an angel to come over and hand me the earring while I sat on the sofa and watched Netflix.

I knew I wasn’t going to find the earring unless I looked for it. But I continued to look because I knew I’d find it.

The belief and the action working together made all the difference.

To read the previously mentioned story of falling flat on my face:

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