This year, she accomplished something big. It was something she had not thought of doing ever again. She put her wedding ring back on. To some, it might be just a regular thing, but for her, it was a monumental and very emotional moment. Her ring is more than just a piece of metal. It symbolizes her story, her marriage, her faults, her development, and her love. She and her husband met when they were young. Honestly, they were just kids. The way he smiled was what she loved most about him. The way he walked in those old pair of jeans was something she liked about him. Life seemed so simple when he was around her, and she loved it.
A few years later, they combined their families and married each other. It was a good feeling. It felt like they were building something strong and beautiful. However, life after marriage was different from their young love story. Both of them were stubborn. Both of them wanted to be the ones who were right. If you add to that jobs, kids, money worries, decisions, and long days, then the easy laughter of the past turns into heated debates rapidly. They did love each other, but loving someone doesn’t make every day perfect. There was a fight during her pregnancy, and she was very tired and emotional. She didn’t even know what the fight was about.
It might have been something insignificant. It might have been that many little things had been piling up and finally exploded. Anyway, at that moment, she was so angry that she couldn’t even think clearly. She looked at him and said, “Give me your ring.” She didn’t mean it when she said it. That was just out of frustration. What shocked her most was that he actually removed his wedding band and gave it to her. A part of her was totally shattered at that instant. Instead of cooling down, she let her emotions take over completely. She went after him outside with the ring in her hand and threw it at his car. Neither of them could believe what they had just witnessed.
The ring hit the windshield, came off, and went down the street. She immediately felt sorry for it after it was thrown. She was running after it, very pregnant, and so she couldn’t run very fast. She was crying and panicking at the same time. She looked all over the street and called out to people, hoping that somebody would tell her they saw it. Then a big truck happened to be parked just right for her to spot the ring shining under it. When she touched it, she felt shame, guilt, and sorrow all mixed up together. She held it in her hand and said quietly to herself, “Not ever again.” And she meant it. She returned home and apologized to him.
Apologizing to him for being controlled by her anger, he said that he would always remember it: “She chose to love you,” he told her. Not because she was flawless. Not because it was all roses and sunshine. But because love is a decision that you keep making again and again. After that incident, the two of them became even more powerful. They changed the way they talked. They learned to fight each other in different ways. More importantly, they learned that love was not always about being romantic or having nice moments. Sometimes love means saying “I’m sorry,” “I forgive you,” and “Let’s try again.” Later, when her husband died, life was no longer the same.
She put his ring in a lovely box right next to the flag that was folded from his service. She didn’t wear my wedding ring anymore because it hurt too much to look at it. It used to remind her of what she had lost. This year, however, something inside her changed. She wanted to pay tribute to him. She wanted to pay tribute to their love, the good times, the struggles, the truths. So she took out her ring. She held it for a long time. Then she put it back on her finger. And it felt right. Putting on her ring again does not indicate that she is living in the past. It is a sign that she is taking love with her wherever she goes. It is a message that she is now strong enough to remember him without breaking down. It is an indication that she is proud of her story. She did a big and lovely thing this year: she put her wedding ring back on.
