As we were driving down the road I reached for my wedding ring with my thumb to twirl it around, a habit I’ve developed since I’ve started wearing a ring, and I only felt air. I reached again thinking the first pass was a hoax. Nothing. I turned to my eyes because I knew they wouldn’t deceive me. As I glanced down I felt a deep sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. For the first time since our wedding day I didn’t have my wedding ring on. My finger suddenly felt cold. Bare. As I began to inspect my finger I noticed a tan line where the ring usually sits and I looked nervously over at Maison.

Panicking, we called the restaurant we had just left and asked if anyone had found a ring. She said, “not that I know of.” Shoot! She then asked me were I was sitting and proceeded to go and look for the ring. I waited. About two minutes later, I heard an excited voice on the other end of the phone telling me she had found my ring! I felt a huge sigh of relief.

I knew the ring was simply a symbol of my dedication to Maison but had realized in that moment it had become so much more than that. My wedding ring had become a symbol for each day we had spent together, the good memories and the bad. It told the story of each day we were fortunate enough to spend side by side. I had realized that this ring I was so annoyed by when I first began wearing it had become an old friend, and that the initials MME imprinted on the inner band of the ring had become the other half of my soul.

I’m so thankful for this marriage that God has blessed Maison and I with. I’m also thankful for temporarily losing the ring.  It served as a great reminder of how much Maison and I have grown together over this past year and as excitement for each and every day we get to spend together from now until eternity.

Maison, I proudly wear this ring as a token of my love and commitment to you and also as a daily reminder to choose to pursue both my relationships with Christ and you. To the rest of the world, your ring may be prettier than mine, but to me, well I wouldn’t trade it for anything.