Woman finds hope in wedding rings recovered from ashes of burned home

FRITCH, Texas (KFDA/Gray News) - Families impacted by the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle are searching through the remains of their homes for belongings. Already, several people have found what they thought was lost to the fire.

Bailey Cummings says within 45 minutes of using a sifter, she found her wedding rings in the ashes of her home. A sifter is a screen that you can put ashes into to find bigger objects, KFDA reports.

“When you see all that you’ve owned and collected through your life burned down to nothing and you’re holding out to find some semblance of meaning, finding that is overwhelming,” Cummings said.

Cummings says finding her wedding rings brought her hope.

“We’re still here, and finding that, it sent me a sign that we, as a family, are resilient. In the face of all of this, we’ll make it through,” Cummings said.

Aaron Mesneak, the owner of Mesneak Construction, has been providing sifters for free. What started as 10 sifters for Stinnett has turned into 250 sifters aiding recovery efforts around the Panhandle.

Mesneak shut down his construction company on Friday to focus on making the sifters.

“It has definitely given hope, and that’s what this place needs is hope, with all the devastation,” he said.

Mesneak hopes he won’t have to make more sifters, but he says if the need is there, give him a couple of hours and he’ll fill it.

“They just want that one thing to remind them of home,” Mesneak said. “You got the ones who are searching for their rings that they couldn’t evacuate with.”

Mesneak encourages those who have a sifter he made to find a neighbor in need and give it away.

“Find a neighbor in need. I mean, that’s what the Bible tells you: ‘Love thy neighbor,’” Mesneak said.

You can contact Mesneak Construction on Facebook to get a free sifter.