{the prelude}

"with this ring"

the wedding ring symbolizes....a never ending love with no beginning and no end...it signifies an unbroken circle of unity without beginning, middle or end. it is worn on the 4th finger of your left hand because in ancient times, it was thought that the artery in that finger was directly connected to your heart...

i recently photographed a wedding, and i cried. the minister explained the meaning behind the ring his wife had placed on his left hand on his wedding day. however, he also wore a humble circle of gold on the 4th finger of his right hand. this one signified a tremendous legacy. at the time his grandparents were married over 70 years ago, his grandfather had no money to purchase a ring. on their first Christmas together, he had saved enough to buy a small gold necklace and earrings. at another point in her life, he did buy her a ring. after 63 years of marriage, she passed away. at that time, he took the necklace and earrings and had them melted into a ring he wore. until the day he died.

the minister went on to explain the monetary value, or lack thereof - but, that someone would have to kill him to remove the ring on his right hand. as he spoke, you could not help but imagine the good and bad they had faced throughout all of those years together. days when they loved each other, days in which they probably did not even like each other. but, they were commited. they have left their family an invaluable legacy. it was a beautiful story.

the ring scott placed on my finger on our wedding day sits in the back of a drawer in a ziplock bag....in pieces. the day i realized it was beyond repair, i was devastated....absolutely, intensely devastated. it felt so personal and shocking that the ring scott had worked for that entire summer long preceding the engagement, the one he placed on my hand on "lover's leap" and on our wedding day was in pieces. so, was my heart.

but, to him, it was just a symbol and one that he would replace........

{to be continued}