This young girl and when I say young I mean she’s 30, asked me how long I’ve been married. I said, “almost nineteen years.” Wow, talk about sticker shock. We continued talking about love, finding the right person, blah, blah, blah. While staring at my wedding ring, she asked, “aren’t you supposed to upgrade your ring at ten years?” What is she trying to say? I looked down at my ring and said, “nope.” At one point I thought I should upgrade my ring. Why shouldn’t I? I’m giving my hubby and his children the best years of my life. I deserve it. So, a few years back I did visit a jeweler about the endless possibilities for my hubby to show me just how much he loves me. As the jeweler talked, I listened and the more he spoke, the more I didn’t like what I was hearing. I ran out of the store, called my hubby with the ugly, hyperventilating cry reserved for the most devastating moments and confessed my crime. This was a moment of growth for me.
A wedding ring, my ring was more than just a cluster of diamonds given to me by someone. It’s was the start of our journey together. Call it my Oprah “ah-ha” moment right there in the jewelers. This was not just any old ring. It reminds me of where we started. He was a graduate student, I quit school to support him, and we lived in student housing. It reminds us of the choices and sacrifices we’ve made for each other. I don’t want to forget where we came from or take for granted the life we’ve created. In fact, I designed my ring with the specific purpose of having it dismantled so pieces of jewelry could be fashioned out of my “little old ring” for future generations. My ring has not been upgraded nor will it ever be. Why limit your bling factor to something you already own? Looking at it my hands, wrists, ears and belly button…they could use some more sparkle.
