A little Ring of Love

Well, friends, it's been a full week. I'm sorry to have not posted, but just didn't have the energy to stay up and post. So let me back up and tell you about this week. It started last Sunday....we attend an Episcipal church Sunday mornings. (We also attend a Pentecostal church later in the morning, but that's another story...grin.) And we had the Bishop coming to confirm several of our youth. It was kinda exciting. It was the first time this Bishop had come to our little church. Several of the ladies on vestry had asked me to make a cake for the occasion which I happily agreed to do. Well, Saturday night, after Shabbot had ended, I'm working on finishing the cake up and realized I couldn't find my large sheet cake pan! Panic....what can I do?!?! I decided I'd have to use two smaller pans and but them together so it looked like one large sheet cake underneath the cross cake I'd baked. I've done this before and if I'm careful, no one ever guesses it's two smaller cakes under the cross, but it allows for feeding a larger number of people. Unfortunately, after the two smaller cakes baked it was discovered our oven is no longer level. As both cakes sloped badly. I attempted to cover the problem with icing, but it didn't look nearly as good as my normal cakes and I was embarrassed, so Sunday morning we got up and raced to the local bakery to pick up a ready made cake. We delivered it to the church, I added wording for the occasion and we start in for services. Then I noticied it!!! Now real panic set in!!! What did I notice? My wedding band was missing!!!! When Dodi and I first got married (in 1992) we had Black Hills Gold wedding bands. They didn't exactly match, but were obviously close to the same. And I loved that delicate little gold band with the green and red grape leaves. Over the years, Dodi broke that ring (twice I might add!!!!) and we'd get it fixed, and then one day he lost it. He was devestated. I told him it didn't matter, he had me, and we could easily get another band. Which we did. Dodi wears a size 15 ring, so it's hard to find one big enough. We usually get a 12 or 13 (the biggest we can usually find) and then have it stretched. So we got new bands, stretched his and I wore both bands on different fingers. Then last summer, he broke the new band and it was not able to be repaired. So at Hannukah, I got us another set of matching bands. These are titanium steele and etched with La Dodi en la Dodi, "My beloved is mine and I am my beloved's". So when I say I lost my wedding band, it's true...but I still have two other bands to wear. But that first band was my favorite...it was sweet, delicate, beautiful...and represented the love we'd shared for over 30 years. Deep heavy sigh. We searched everywhere....yes, even in the cake after church. Couldn't find it anyway. I cried. Dodi reminded me of my own words to him years ago....he still loved me, the ring didn't matter, we had other bands, he'd buy me another one if I wanted him to... all the right words. (Don't you just hate it when your sweetie uses your own words and you know he's right?!?!?!) Later that evening, at the other church's evening services, a guest preacher talked about how outward signs were less important than the inward signs of love. Now, yes, he was talking about faith in Yeshua and the Father's love, but it occured to me that Papa was talking straight to me!!! That little ring of gold was far less important than the inner knowledge I have that my Dodi loves me with his whole heart. The knowledge that my pain and sorrow affects him as much as it does me. The knowledge that wether I have that ring, or another, or any ring at all, he'll still love me. Hmmm, kinda a picture of Papa's love for me. Wow! So now, while my heart is sad I lost that little ring, I've realized I still have my ring of love....it's in my Dodi's eyes each time he looks at me, his voice when we talk together and his arms when he hugs me. Who needs a gold ring anyhow? I've got a loving ring wrapped around me several times....from Papa, from Dodi, from Little Critter and the boys, from my friends. Boy, am I blessed. I pray you recognize the blessings in your life too, dear friends. Be blessed and I'll talk again soon. Shalom, Joie