Disclaimer: Do not judge my point and shoot wanna-be photography skills. :)
Ryan and I celebrated our SIXTH wedding anniversary just over a month ago, on April 13th. We had a lovely, simple day of massages and gelato; the plan being to do a weekend getaway this summer sometime. For some time now, Ryan has been on my case about his own ring, wanting to get it back on his hand for more than a couple of hours before pain set in. For some reason (Bako water retention?) his ring size has gone up 1.5 sizes since our wedding day. So he was happy to get a beautiful (can you call a guy's band beautiful?), new band.
As for my ring, I honestly have always adored it. I remember almost crashing into oncoming traffic gazing relentlessly at it the during our engagement while driving (real safe, I know!) It is a modest diamond set in a simple tension set. Recently, the wear and tear of life had rubbed down several of the edges quite a bit, so Ryan had me take it down to SLO for a tuneup/reshaping. I always love walking in that little shop, taking me back to days before we were married in a moment's time... And after three visits down there, I finally retrieved my ring again.
You see, unfortunately for the jeweler (and most other people in my life), I have a good eye. Ryan always said I should have either been a lawyer (for my arguments) or a jeweler (with fine attention to detail). It really is a double edged sword. Being detail oriented can be positive, but sometimes it's so much easier to see things through rosy colored lenses. I swear I can see what takes the jeweler a 200x magnifying glass to see. A slight difference on one side on my ring has always really bugged me, and I was hoping we could rectify that with the reshaping.
It's funny how life's circumstances can change how you see things, and who you are, if you let them. Before we were married, I could not imagine having a diamond any larger than a third of a carat. I am a minimalist, simple in nature and that seemed perfect. When Ryan proposed with a half carat, I thought it was the hugest thing I had ever seen! But after time, if we are not on our guard, ugliness can set in. I remember several years later at one point feeling a tinge of unusual envy, looking a another's ring, thinking "Gosh, I guess I kind of wish mine was it little bit bigger." And I hated that feeling. It has taken work (on myself) to let God allow me to look at the things in my own life and find contentment.
So, when I put my ring back on my finger this time, of course, as expected, it was not "perfect". It's not noticeable; anyone else would think I am crazy. But I see it. And I accept it. And more than that, God is doing big things in me. I don't want it to be perfect anymore. I love it. Just the way it is. As a reminder that you can love the imperfect.
God's love is perfect, but we (the recipients of His love) certainly are FAR from that.
And if I want to be more like Him, I want to love like that.
Thank you for my new ring Tig. I love it. And I love you. -the other Tiger
5 comments:
I cannot wait to get my ring cleaned up and ready for action. It is a little tight, but I am hoping this last 5 or so pounds will return it to it's perfect fit. Happy Anniversary!
Beautiful ring. Even more beautiful wife, mother and friend. I love you.
that was my favorite post ever! i sat glued to my barstool reading it!
i absolutely LOVE the photo of your ring. it is awesome and your ring it perfectly stunning.
so funny that you have the double-edged sword of both arguing and attention to detail. my dad always said my greatest strength and weakness was my attention to detail. i can't argue worth squat though--i'm like,"ok already! you changed my mind":)
when i got my ring we were dirt poor in college--i always told john i wanted a diamond that flashed from here to china for my 5year anniversay. then i kept stabbing finn with my small diamond when changing his daiper and decided against a bigger diamond. the older i get the more of a minimalist i am becoming.
and i love how you ended it with God's perfect love for his imperfect children.
and soooooo cute that ya'll call each other tiger. I love you Jenn--you are a diamond in the rough! (well you are not rough, but it sounded good).
It has taken work (on myself) to let God allow me to look at the things in my own life and find contentment.
Um, I'm crying a little bit right now? I'm a dork. But what a beautiful post (and ditto to everything Colleen said :) ) Thank you for sharing your life with me. I love you!
oh jenn. i love that. loving the imperfect. such a challenge. and i too, love your ring. and i'm so thankful i was there the day you guys got married, to witness that special day. Wow that means we've been friends for seven years! how did that happen??!!=0
love you
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