Love Rings!

The giving of rings to symbolise love dates back as far as the 16th centrury and is to demonstrate no end. A never ending circle to wear always and celebrate relationships be they promised to one another, betrothed or wed. I had thought myself not too concerned with such tradition when I got married (eleve years ago this month) but over the years it became a point of upset for me that I had declined an engagement ring and chosen only a very plain wedding band. I had some sort of bee in my bonnet about it not being important but upon wearing that very plain band every day, something I hadn’t actually planned to do either but which became incredibly important in a way I hadn’t envisaged feeling, I realised I had made a mistake. Being given a ring I really loved, were I to be able to go back in time, would be something I would have hoped for. I mentioned this to my husband last year when we were coming up to our tenth wedding anniversary.

Everyone else I knew had been given Engagement Rings and though he was right, I had indeed said I didn’t want one, I had changed my mind. A woman’s prerogative although of course 10 years in and an engagement ring was not to be for me… When it came to Wedding Rings I watched his face not really understand how I could be so fickle when I said I was not happy with mine and that a decade in I was thinking about that choice more and more and regretting that we didn’t make it more special. Ten years is a long time to be married and with another anniversary, of the time we met, being two decades, coming up I tried to convince myself that a ring wasn’t really important even though I couldn’t stop looking at the one I would have chosen were I to be choosing now.

He listened, would you believe and more than that he looked! He looked at the ring I was dreaming about and for our other significant anniversary last year, twenty years of being together, he gave me the ring of my dreams. In a way it’s even more special than the engagement ring I declined and the wedding ring I put no thought into because frankly he never gets presents right and yet this time he really understood.

The importance in marriage is the marriage, the commitment, the love and loyalty and promise for forever more. That is the real great issue but… But… Oh but, but… The ring really is important too. Choosing the right one, being given something with meaning and wearing a never ending circle of symbolism is also a very important thing to me too. I9 have realised. I would tell my children to not dismiss such ritual and instead embrace the happiness sharing something beautiful as a gift with meaning can make. I was far to quick to be cool, be not in need of material belongings and yet here I am all these years later and I am very happy to wear my beautiful ring every day.

I adore the tradition of it and even more so the symbolism. Given my time again and I’d accept all, Promise Rings to Eternity. Why not?! There’s lots of boring and mundane in life so celebrations should be had wherever and whenever they can be. And there’s nothing more special than celebrating love without ending.