As you approach milestones in life, you look more closely at what is and what has been.  Symbols of those years and times become important.  Symbols like a wedding ring.

This one has quite a few flaws (maybe like it’s owner).  Actually, my wedding ring has quite the story and I’ve been thinking about it these days as Sonja and I celebrated our 10th anniversary.

It actually isn’t my original wedding ring.  In 2005, our school was having an end of the year party.  We went to a local park with a lake and in the process of having lots of kids climbing on me, my ring was pulled off and sank to the bottom of the lake.  Dozens of bobs and lake-bottom scouring did not turn it up.

Strange enough, I went without one for the next six months.

Then in December of 2005, we traveled to visit some friends in Syria.  Somehow the story of my naked ring finger and the fact that it was our anniversary turned into a “Let’s find a ring at the bazaar in Damascus.”  Is this ringing any bells Miles and Cathrein?  Our search turned up a $15 dollar gem, which you see pictured above.  It was discolored with some black scuff marks.  It wasn’t circular.  But, it fit on my finger and has rested there to this day.  Here’s a picture of us from that evening in the bazaar seven years ago:

Last month, I was playing broomball in Montreal and another man whacked my hand so hard with his stick that he actually cracked my wedding ring (you’ll notice it in the first photo).  So, one of my intentions during our getaway in Montreal was to finally replace this old, beaten, flawed ring with a new one.

Yet, as the time drew near, I found this idea of buying a new ring more and more repulsive.  I mean, I’m certainly not against purchasing a new ring and I may even do so tomorrow, but today at least, I really love this ring and I don’t want a new one.  Maybe that’s because it symbolizes so much of us and our marriage. It’s not shiny and attractive, the way that I tried to make myself appear early in our relationship.  In fact, the smudges, the cracks, and other deformities are really easy to see.

But, this ring was made for my finger.  It slides on easily, but takes a lot of work to get off.  In the same way, God made Sonja for me and He made me for Sonja.  We both know each others’ sinful tendencies much better and this marriage thing takes a lot of work, but we’re more in love after ten years than we were in the first months of ignorant bliss.

That’s worth keeping…and by His grace, we will.