The Ties That Bound

Not long after my dad died, my mom noted that she wasn’t married any more. After all, the vows do explicitly say, "Until death do you part." Since there was a death, then there was a parting. At the time, she wondered if she should take off her wedding ring, but decided that it was too soon for her to feel comfortable about it.

My mom took her ring off today. She said that since today would have been their 48th anniversary, it was the right time for her to remove the band. With little fanfare, though with a little water to help with the friction, she took off the ring, gave it to me, and then I went and placed it with its long-time symbolic partner.

Little piece of trivia: these aren’t the rings my parents actually wed with. My dad picked up these rings in 1969. They were white gold bands with yellow gold edges; a small rope scroll in the middle of the bands’ circumference. They are of an elegant, yet simple, design. I always thought that had I gotten married, I would have liked to have had rings similar to what my parents wore for so long. But, that’s obviously not a problem I’m going to have to worry about.

I kidded with my mom that now all these old coots are going to start hitting on her, seeing that naked ring finger and all. It’s good to laugh.