20 years later, man's cherished gold ring discovered by county workers

Grand Rapids Index ^ | 4-1-15 | Andrew Krietz

[afraidfortherepublic]

When a county worker knocked on Abraham Joshua's front door Tuesday morning, he only expected notice that maintenance on a clogged culvert was complete.

So, the 70-year-old Grand Rapids resident shuffled over, still dressed in pajamas.

"It was still early," Joshua laughed.

The news - that a crew from the Kent County Road Commission had found a cherished ring missing for about 20 years - was an awakening.

"The man goes, 'Does this belong to you?'" Joshua said.

The ring, even after a couple decades buried in dirt, still shined and a cut out of a cross was still visible. It served as a reminder of Joshua's landing in the United States in 1981.

Joshua emigrated from Pakistan to the U.S. after he said it became increasingly difficult to live as a Christian in a society that viewed non-Muslims and other religious groups with disfavor.

Joshua, who worked for the Pakistani government, said coworkers told him he couldn't hold positions that would allow him to create policy.

With no apparent future in the country, Joshua flew to Chicago and eventually made his way to West Michigan, where his sister and her husband already lived.

Joshua befriended an owner of an Indian jewelry shop in Chicago some time later and asked him if he could personalize the ring to signify his faith.

"Having brown skin ... people automatically think you're different and wonder if you're Muslim or Sikh," Joshua said. "I'm a Christian, and the ring says that without me saying it."

Road commission workers made the find as they were clearing a drainage pipe beneath the man's driveway that had silted up through the years. Heavy equipment scooped up the dirt and sediment - several digs on either side of the driveway - and dumped it in an adjacent truck.

[afraidfortherepublic]

[Impy]

Nice story.

[GMMC0987]

I wonder where he will move now avoid religious persecution?

[ken5050]

Yup..I can see road crews in, say..Chicago, or Detroit, or NYC..returning a piece of jewelry they’d found..

[Leaning Right]

Thanks for posting this. It’s a refreshing break from all the bad news out there. Sometimes I wonder if Free Republic shouldn’t have a “good news” forum.

[DaveA37]

Its nice to hear good news about county workers for a change instead all the negatives so commonly shared. There are a lot of county workers like the ones who returned this man's ring and for that I applaud them for their honesty.

[subterfuge]

No mention of lengthy immigration process.

[Wiz-Nerd]

He looks very happy. Great story. Thank you for the smile.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Sometimes I wonder if Free Republic shouldn’t have a “good news” forum.

”No news is good news” - because good news “isn’t news.”

“Gospel” means “good news” - and the gospel is 2000 years old (lacking a decade or so).

My sister-in-law questioned me as to why I don’t follow the news on TV. She’s conservative, and she believes that she can see through the liberal tripe on the news. My answer:

The natural disposition is always to believe. It is acquired wisdom and experience only that teach incredulity, and they very seldom teach it enough. The wisest and most cautious of us all frequently gives credit to stories which he himself is afterwards both ashamed and astonished that he could possibly think of believing. - Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments

I don’t listen to "the news” because it is produced, directed, and articulated by propagandists. Therefore the most I can hope would be to be so insightful that I successfully discount everything that I hear when listening to the news. So why bother?

I read FR. The significant news, mostly, is posted here - along with commentary from conservative FReepers. That commentary, in which I participate, enables us to pool our “incredulity” so that, collectively, we are significantly less vulnerable to “the natural disposition . . . to believe.”

In reality there is an abundance of good news on TV - in the form of commercials which praise the qualities and low prices of the goods on offer. Is that what you mean?

[GeronL]

Many news articles are easily refuted these days by commenters.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Ping to my #9.

In reality - apart from Tim Cook’s lamentable diversion of my (as an AAPL shareholder) money and influence to personal causes with which you and I disagree -

Apple’s news conferences have traditionally been “good news” announcements.

That is really what you most like to ping out.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Indeed.

[PGalt]

: ) Thanks for the ping. Great post.