The Diamond I Wear Now

When my marriage ended, there were a lot of losses. It seemed to be a season of loss. I’m using past tense though I’m not sure we’re done yet. There was the loss of everything within the marriage, but others as well (I’ll blog on those in their due time, don’t worry.).

One of the losses was wearing my wedding ring. It took weeks to stop feeling its absence.  I still look at that bare finger, somewhat startled. Like the feeling when you wake up in a hotel room and- for a second- forget where you are.

As I put my wedding jewelry away, I pulled out another diamond ring I have.

It was a gift from my Grandma June.

As I have said before, I am blessed in the Grandma department.

My Grandma June bought herself this ring. She used to work at Macy’s. I’m sure she was strolling the mall one day and browsing and decided she wanted this ring. My Grandma worked decades in schools, insurance offices, Macy’s, and the ticket box office of the local junior college. She provided me with so much goodness.

The obvious kinds like tickets to great events and nice clothes.

She was also the Grandma who sent away for all those fun toys the cereal boxes advertised if you saved up so  many “proofs of purchase”. She had oodles of art supplies, costumes, and good snacks. She loved the San Francisco Giants and took me to my first games. She traveled the world. She cared for her parents, her kids, foster kids, foreign exchange kids, grandkids and the list went on. Holiday dinners were huge with people wandering in from all over.

I wear this ring now because it reminds me of her. It reminds me she didn’t give up. She was feisty. She didn’t settle. She worked hard. She loved. She had fun. She laughed. She met challenges head on and didn’t take defeat easily, or well. She regrouped and found a way to make the life she was determined to have.

And- especially now- as I face this new season of life, one so unexpected… I want to remind myself that I am her Granddaughter. And- from her- I got more than my love of Giants baseball.