A Wedding Ring Reflects Way of Life

Published November 25, 1982. Once again Thanksgiving is here. We pause with our loved ones to express gratitude and perhaps reflect a little on life.

In a recent edition of “Marriage Encounter,” Dale Whitlock has written an article about wedding rings that gives cause for thought. Perhaps you would like to read it, alone or with your marriage partner, and think for a few minutes about your marriage. Dale’s essay is titled “My Wedding Ring – Just Like Me.”

“As much as my imperfect memory allows, I recall that my wedding ring was bright and shining that day.

“It was as bright and shining as the love that burned within me. It was free from imperfection, much like I thought myself to be. The engraving stood out in bold, sharp relief. Just like me.

“There was a deep shimmering luster of life and love in my wedding ring. It twinkled and danced in the sunlight. It spread the happiness and vibrancy of young love and youthful exuberance far and wide.

“I wore my wedding ring like a badge, signifying that I had chosen a life style that was said by many self-proclaimed experts to be in the twilight of its time. What did I care for those paragons of knowledge? I knew my mind in those days.

“In those days, love conquered all. Or so I believed. I wore my wedding ring with smug pride to prove it. In those days, love was my sword and buckler as I marched arrogantly down the road of my life.

“I’m still wearing that same wedding ring. It, like me, has changed. It is no longer bright and shiny. Like me. The engraving no longer stands out in bold relief. Like me.

“It doesn’t twinkle and dance in the sunlight now. And it doesn’t shimmer either. But then, neither do I.

“Now, there are nicks and scratches, the flawlessness fled.

“Yes, the brightness is soft and rounded now. The hard times ground it down. The soft, gentle times buffed and polished it, so that now, what is left emanates contentment and comfort.

“No, my wedding ring doesn’t twinkle and dance in the sun now. Instead, it gathers in the warmth and love of the sun and stores it for a rainy day.

“It doesn’t shimmer any more. It is calm and tranquil, like a deep, still pond that I can gaze into and see the reflection of what once was.

“My wedding ring will endure as long as time itself, and longer than me. While I still may, I will treasure its timelessness and reflect on its meaning. It means so much, it is so much.

“Yet, without the meaning of love and marriage, what is my wedding ring?

“It is like me. Without love, it is nothing.”