The Ring

This post is inspired by a friend of mine who posted something similar. It is a story that I had kind of forgot about until I read my friends blog.

My grandmother passed away probably about 15 years ago. She lived up north and I was here in the south. She and I had a wonderful relationship. It wasn't based on things. It was based on love. She had nothing, gave me nothing except time. She told the most awesome stories. She didn't live in the same town but she would come stay with us for months. We would sleep in the same room some times. My mom says she and I were a lot alike. She was a school teach. So am I. She loved books and to read. So do I. I actually have a first edition Black Beauty book that was hers. (My mom gave it to me.) Anyway, when she was dying my mom and I drove up north. It was April and when we got to my grandmother's apartment it was cold and snowing. She passed away just a few hours after my mom and I got there (we drove all night.) My mom's brother and sister were there. My grandmother had always said when she passed away she wanted to be propped in a corner with a flower in her hand and then she expected everybody to have a party. Well, that is what we did. (Well, we didn't prop her in the corner but we all celebrated her life while she was still there.) The hospice lady came finally to check on her and realized she had passed away. She made the phone calls that needed to be made.

As I mentioned, my grandmother didn't have much just her life stories and books. Both of which I treasure even to this day. But when she passed away she had left me a little money - not much. I had big plans for that money. I had just graduated from college a couple months earlier and was working at my first real job. I was a manager in a hotel. Working TONS of hours for very little pay. I was barely able to get by most months. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that I could eat my meals at the hotel, I would have starved to death and I was never home so my electric bill was really low. Anyway, I wanted to do something special with the money my grandmother had given me. Something that I would always remember her by. I decided I wanted to buy a beautiful emerald ring. Well, because of my financial situation at the time, I never bought the ring. Over the course of a couple months, I spent the money on rent and other bills that needed to be paid. Because I am practical I knew that is what I needed to do.

About a year or so later, right before Christmas, I was telling my boyfriend (who is now my hubby) the story of my grandmother and how when she passed away I had wanted to buy an emerald ring with the money she had left me. And I told him how I had to spend the money that was left me on bills. He also worked at the hotel where I worked and understood about not making much money. That Christmas hubby bought me a beautiful emerald ring! (Even to this day hubby buys very thoughtful gifts.) I still have it. I don't wear it as much as I use to. I don't wear any jewelery much these days. But it is safely in my jewelery box. It is a ring that I will keep forever and probably pass on to the child who loves books as much as my grandma did and I do. . .