Wedding Rings

 

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” *

I am not accustomed to wearing much jewelry…usually just my wedding ring on the left hand, mom’s engagement and wedding rings on the right and a gold cross around my neck.

When mom passed away, my two sisters were delighted that her rings fit my finger, and so was I! Dad proposed to her when she was eighteen years old. He was nineteen and had enlisted in the Marines near the end of World War II. The engagement ring was a narrow gold band, a bargain at the PX on the base.

They were married while he was going through Officer’s Training School in Virginia, on April 28, 1945. There was a slight snafu afterwards, however. The minister who had performed the wedding ceremony used a wrong name for one of them on the marriage certificate! They were horrified when they discovered the mistake and spent their wedding night “sitting on the edge of the bed, eating oranges and talking,” according to mom.

Were they married or not? Just to make sure, early the next morning they went to the minister’s home and managed to stop him before he headed out the door to go on a fishing trip. He corrected the mistake and assured them that yes, they were married.

 Mom may have received her wedding ring later, after dad had returned from serving in Japan at the end of World War II. Money was scarce, and the diamond ring would have been a major expense until he had begun his teaching and coaching career.

 Her rings remind me of the strong bond of love my parents shared for 58 years. Theirs was a happy marriage, their home a nurturing, loving environment for my four siblings and me.

Al and I were not as young as my parents when we got engaged. We decided to take our gold jewelry to a family friend who owned a local jewelry shop. He melted it down and then used the resulting gold to fashion two rings.

My ring had a diamond in the band, while Al’s ring had a bigger, wider band. Both were unique and special, symbolizing the love we had for each other.

Unfortunately, my fingers shrank during the years, allowing the wedding ring to easily slide off, especially when my hands were cold. An enlarged knuckle on the right ring finger kept the other two rings on without a problem.

About two weeks ago, we were on our way home from the gym when I discovered that my wedding ring was missing.  The “ring snuggie” holding it on my finger had come off earlier and had never been replaced. It was an oversight that I deeply regretted.

 We immediately drove back to the gym where I reported the loss, and looked around the pool area. The ring had been on my finger the day prior to going to the gym. It could have slipped off my finger in any number of places; however, the pool was the most likely place.

 The people who worked at the front desk were sympathetic, taking down all the information and promising to look for it. Since then, I have made many calls to the gym, and have even searched the bottom of the pool and hot tub wearing goggles, all to no avail.  A search around the house, car, and through my clothing hasn’t turned it up either.

One of the managers, Jamal, has been helpful, even talking to the janitor to see if it had been found when the pool and hot tub were closed for cleaning.

“Bring in flyers,” Jamal said. “There is always the hope that someone may have picked it up and will eventually return it.”

 “That ring can never have the same meaning for anyone else as it does for me, after 41 years of marriage,” I told him, offering a reward if found. It always reminded me of our lifelong commitment to each other and of the vows we made on our wedding day before God, our family and so many friends.

Well, I am still wearing my mom’s rings and the cross, another gift from Al so long ago. And I still have a wonderful, faithful husband for whom I am grateful and with whom I look forward to spending each day “until death do us part.” God is good!

*Proverbs 3:3 NIV