The Decision

Today, I bring you a story about my engagement ring. Well, perhaps more of some musings on my engagement ring.

OaG did a stellar job picking my ring. It had been a long time since I had really thought about what kind of a ring I would want. And, even when I thought I did know what I wanted (which was actually a garnet), it turns out that I couldn't love anything more than the one that is on my finger.

It's simple. It's classic. And, it's a rock that, frankly, I didn't expect. I love my ring. What I've come to appreciate more about it, lately, is this: It is the symbol of a decision.

I had always planned and dreamed of being married someday. Like most girls, I facilitated many a nuptial of my Barbies and later on brainstormed accent color choices, cake flavors and play lists for receptions. My parents were a wonderful example to me of commitment and love. I guessed that I'd be married somewhere before the age of 21 (yikes!). When life turned out differently, it threw me for a loop. For a time, I really felt something missing. But, over the years, I grew very comfortable on my own. It's easier that way, I decided. It reminds me of a favorite C.S. Lewis quote:

It's taken some adjusting on my part to think, again, about truly sharing my life and all that I am with someone else. And, on those rough days, when the distance of most of VA and all of KY and MO between OaG and I seems like an ocean apart, I appreciate my ring as the symbol of making that decision to make a change. To work toward being more than I am on my own. To honor my faith, my family and myself. To embrace a future I didn't know was out there.