Historically, a wedding ring has been an indication that the man or woman wearing it is married. In modern times, however, it has become a status symbol; the bigger the ring, the bigger the love. Women will often “upgrade” their ring for one that has a larger stone as a sign of wealth and success. Rachel Pedersen grew tired by the constant barrage of comments and questions regarding the size of her ring. Pedersen wrote a response to all her critics, explaining why it’s not about the size of the jewelry but the love built when the two joined their lives together. Her response puts all those who focus on material things to shame.
Yes, I know that my wedding ring is small. Friends and family often ask me when I’m going to have it “upgraded”…. After all, it doesn’t represent the level of success we are achieving. I’ve even had one person say “you could wear a bigger ring for important events, so people don’t think you’re not successful.” Wait a minute…. Since when did the size of someone’s ring become an indication of success?! For me, the ring is SO much more. My ring symbolizes a whirlwind, storybook, “make you sick” love story…. It reminds me of how my husband and I met and fell at in love in one night at a Perkin’s diner. He worked as a window washer, and I was a single mother. One short week later, and we professed our love to one another, him leading the conversation. We couldn’t stop dreaming of our future, so excited to have a baby, buy a house, and fall asleep together every night. We couldn’t wait for the future. So we didn’t. 13 days after meeting, we eloped. I didn’t even THINK about a ring until my husband surprised me before the ceremony. He drained his savings to gift me with a small token of his love. I say small, only because it pales in comparison with how big his love is, even now, after years of marriage. That, my friends, is success to me.