Forty-four years
ago, as a young couple in love, Jan and I went to a mall in San Jose,
California and bought our engagement and wedding rings. We couldn’t afford the
$400.00 price tag so we put the rings on credit. We took the next four years to
pay it off.

Tonight, I removed my
wedding ring to wash my hands. I don’t normally take my ring off, but tonight I
did. Without it I felt naked. Its absence left a strange impression on my
finger. My flesh had submitted over time to the presence of the ring.  It had become an inseparable part of my life.
I will wear the ring to my grave. Over the years the ring has worn thin. The
design marks originally on the ring finally wore off about ten years ago.
Today, it is a shiny band.

When I took the
ring off, I noticed a dent in my finger. After all these years the ring has
changed the physical structure of my ring finger. My finger looks incomplete
without the ring. Its absence leaves a strange looking impression that would
cause someone to ask, “What belongs there?”

As I contemplated
the dent on my finger it reminded me of our commitments in life. Their presence
will leave an impression. Without the evidence of our commitments our lives look strangely dented and incomplete. Without my wedding band in place, I felt
incomplete and vulnerable. I quickly returned my ring to its assigned dent of
love. All is good. Jan will be home soon and everything will be in its place.