Put A Ring On It

Our administrative assistant, the fantastic Stefani Hudson, noticed it almost immediately this morning. As we were talking about the day she exclaimed, "You're married!" Of course she knows I'm married, but you wouldn't know that if you had just met me. I have not been wearing my wedding ring for the last couple of years. I had gotten to a point where the ring no longer fit and it had become uncomfortable. So, I took it off. My wife was not too excited.

Yesterday I decided it was time to tell my wife that I would be out of town next week. She has never liked it when I go on trips. Especially since, what I've come to term, "The Great Gaffe" After one such trip away from each other, my wife and I were talking about missing each other with some friends. She had said how much she missed me and had trouble sleeping when I was away. I responded with, "I really don't miss you until the third day." (WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!). I had an explanation for what I really meant, but it didn't work then, and probably won't work now.

So, I've known for a while that I would be away, but she's been under the weather and I was looking for a good moment to tell her. That moment was not availing itself. As I was reaching the critical point, I noticed my wedding ring on the dresser. My thought was, "I wonder if that fits now?" Having lost nearly 40 pounds! It did.

So I had a plan ... Drop the news of my trip ... Wait for the response ... Take it like a man ... Then flash the bling and cushion with, "Look, honey, it fits." So I dropped the news of my trip. Her response was that it was okay. So I went ahead and showed her the ring and said, "Look, honey, it fits. It's still a little tight, but it's not painful." What I didn't realize was that I had set her up.

"I'm not so sure that I like that it's not painful." Of course she smiled.

BIT: Rev. Grady Winegar on Sunday, June 2, 1996 [yes! 15 years this June] held my ring and my wife's and said, "These rings are the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, signifying to all the uniting of John and Gincy in holy marriage." Over nearly 15 years, we've had some painful and uncomfortable times (what the ring had come to be). But I'm reminded of a print I gave to Gincy by Brian Andreas which says, "while it was a little scary at times, mainly he could not even imagine the world without her there." So, my outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace is now proudly displayed for all to see ... and it fits!

BITTER: I know you've not gotten past "The Great Gaffe". What I meant to do was to put much more emphasis on the "really" word. I REALLY miss you by the third day ("don't" should have been completely left out.) See, it still didn't work.