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Thursday, March 24, 2011

With This Ring


The ring exchange... sweaty hands, promises spoken before God and loved ones, a symbol of love and commitment.

I'm looking down at the rings on my fingers. I'm currently wearing the three special ones given to me by my husband at different stages of our married life. My wedding & engagement set were given to me in early June,1983. We were broke during our engagement so the saying "spend two month's salary on your fiance's diamond" was pretty true for us. Mike was unemployed for a few months, so my carrot was kept pretty small and he made payments until the week before the wedding. I love my little ring and all that it signifies...the promises that we would stick by each other for better or worse, in sickness and in health-and we have for almost 28 years!

On my left middle finger (or tall man if you're a preschool teacher) is an anniversary ring with little diamonds that was supposed to be a Christmas gift our 5th year. Mike ended up giving it to me early because I was SO disappointed that we weren't getting pregnant with a 2nd child. We'd only been trying a few months, but I was very impatient. The following September we welcomed our precious Allison Grace to the family. We believe she was created on Christmas Eve in Omaha, Nebraska.When I look at my anniversary ring I think of delayed dreams, the love of my husband, the wonder of Christmas, the joy Allie has brought us and God's perfect timing.



On my right finger is my beautiful vintage ring that I received for my 50th birthday. I named it Esther. I felt it was found by Mike in a Seattle antique store for "such a time as this". I had always wanted an "upgrade" and I loved that Mike chose a beautiful ring that reminded me of my Grandma Grace's ring. It really took the sting out of my milestone birthday! I didn't feel right taking off my original engagement & wedding ring so I had "Esther" sized for my right hand.

Last weekend I was at a wonderful wedding. During the ring exchange the bridesmaids decided to play a trick and pretended that they couldn't find the groom's ring. Everyone waited anxiously to see if it could be located and the promises made. During this tense moment, my oldest son, who was the Best Man, reacted to the situation quickly and thoughtfully. He took off his own wedding ring and handed it to the Pastor! What a selfless act of love and friendship. The groom's ring suddenly turned up, Mitch's was returned and the ceremony continued. I don't think anyone in attendance will ever forget that ring exchange and what true friends do for each other. "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need."
Proverbs 17:17

I love weddings, I'm thankful for marriage and especially MY GROOM!

There's a new song on the Christian radio station called "Dancing in the Minefields" by Andrew Peterson. Check it out; it's fabulous!

Andrew Peterson - Dancing In The Minefields lyrics

In His Grip, Jane

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