My husband cared more about my wedding ring that I did. Unfortunately, I am not big into jewelry. Expensive jewelry is not my thing. I adore fun earrings, but mostly my other jewelry is simple. Ironically, I would have been pleased with a simple band, but that is not what my husband had in mind.
He didn’t just make the rounds of jewelry shops and pick out what he thought I would like. My husband saved and saved; then he went shopping. He found a jeweler who helped create a unique engagement and wedding ring set. I expected a regular simple band to compliment my engagement ring. My husband surprised me during our wedding with more diamonds on the band.
I did not need the fanciness of the ring to prove his love to me or for me to feel like I could impress the world. Yet, it was important to him to sacrifice and to show thoughtfulness and intention.
Each week on Saturday, I clean my ring. Life is busier and messier than when we first were married. My hands do dishes and laundry. They change diapers and clean up messes. My hands are hard-working hands. Even so, my ring is right there for all of it.
Then it Happened
I sat down in the pew one day at church. It was at the beginning of the service. Of course, it was during a season of life that was extra busy, and I was tired, like emotionally & physically drained kind of tired. I looked at my hand and gasped. One of the diamonds was gone! It wasn’t one of the teeny tiny ones either.
My heart sank. My mind started spinning with anxiety and worry. I had no clue how much it would cost to replace it and fix my wedding ring. The hole just loomed large, mocking me.
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Our finances were very tight at the time. (Well, even tighter than normal.) My husband had begun a new church, and our old house had just sold over two years on the market. The threat of foreclosure was like a wave coming to shore that had crashed and dissipated before it could overtake us, but our feet were still drenched.
I just accepted that I would just have that hole for a while to match the brokenness that we were experiencing. My husband had other plans. It was a priority to him to fix my ring.
The wedding ring was a symbol of our marriage and my importance to him. It was a financial priority that it was fixed.
Lessons Learned
I have learned the hard way to check my wedding ring now and make sure the nubs and pieces that hold the diamonds in place are strong and sturdy. Definitely, I check to make sure nothing is loose.
In fact, recently on vacation, I was feeling my wedding ring and noticed a rough spot. I knocked off one of those nubs! Off came my ring. I was NOT losing another diamond.
My father-in-law sells jewelry. (Much more practical for me if he sold shoes or books!) My husband had a talk with him about whether I was too rough on my ring. Ahem.
Granted, it might be easier and more prudent to put my ring in my jewelry drawer and only pull it out when I am dressing up. We don’t do that with weddings right though. They are a daily reminder of the commitment that we have made to one another and to God.
Cleaning my Wedding Ring
So, each Saturday night I clean my wedding ring. Sunday is the most important day in our household. We prepare to go to church by putting our cleanest and best. I make sure the symbol of the foundation of our marriage is cleaned and ready as well.
Cleaning my ring overlaps two love languages. Gary Chapman has a book called The Five Love Languages. It is a must-read for married folk. There is also a version for parents, The Five Love Language of Children.
One of my husband’s love languages is gift-giving. He is the bomb at finding just the right thoughtful gift and hiding it until the right time. I, on the other hand, am too practical and cheap. I struggle and overthink which gift is the right gift.
Cleaning my wedding ring is an expression of appreciation for the gift that my husband gave me. It is a weekly reminder of his sacrifice and affection. Sometimes as the wedding day fades, we need reminders of the beginnings of our love.
Cleaning your wedding ring is a weekly opportunity to reflect on your wedding vows.
To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish…..
Count your blessings for all the joys and all the trials that you have made it through.
Pray for all the adventures that await. Use the ritual of weekly wedding ring cleaning to build your marriage with prayer!
