Every two years or so I try to remember to hand over my cherished wedding bands to our dear Sara at Cottage Jewelry to have the white gold rhodium’d cleaned (I can’t remember the official name of this process). But essentially it makes the ring sparkley and like new. They professionally clean the perfect blue sapphire my beloved picked out just for me so that the blue is crystal clear and deep like a crater lake. I had dropped the rings off weeks ago and haven’t had time to pick them up.

Last night, as I was chopping bell peppers, cucumbers and carrots for the salads, Ivan pulls out a little plastic bag and I knew instantly what it was…my heart leaped with excitement. As I ripped off my other rings that were in their place, I reached for the dazzling “new” wedding rings and slipped them on as if it was for the first time. I declared, “I feel like a newly married woman,” flashing my glittering rings under the lights of the kitchen.

Oh, to have my sapphire back on my finger brings me great pleasure. Thank you, my love, for picking out a truly lovely ring to adorn my hand as a reminder of the promise you made to me long ago.