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Happy New Year to my wonderful family of readers. A
special welcome to
all our new members who signed up recently. I pray you
all have a
wonderful new year. May you prosper in all you do.
Today I have a special story for you. I hope you
enjoy reading this
and much as I did writing it.
Below the story I have some great links for you and
comments
from my last story. Be sure to check out my poor Santa
imitation.
Band of
Love
Georgia slipped the band of gold around my
finger, looked into my eyes and
completed her vows. We were husband and
wife.
A week later, I sat in my chair, mindlessly
watching television. I twirled the
unfamiliar band of gold circling my ring
finger. It was the first piece of jewelry I'd ever
worn. It made me feel
different.
My life took a major change. I no longer thought of
me. I thought of "us". I had a
wife and was proud to be a husband. The band
of gold proved it. From that day forward, people would see it and know I was
committed to another.
It became a part of me. Whenever I sat idle, my
right hand would reach to play
with it. Other times, my left thumb would
polish it - savoring my symbol of love.
******************
"Michael?" Georgia asked?
I looked across our dining room table at her. Her brown eyes
sparkled. "What, Hun?"
"I'm pregnant." She smiled.
"You are? Are you sure?" I rose from my chair. "Do you feel OK?
Do you need
anything?" I had an expectant mother to take care
of.
"The doctor confirmed it today. And yes, I am OK. Now sit and
finish your dinner."
"But?" I stammered. "This calls for a toast. I'll get that
bottle of champagne."
I rushed from the table.
"Michael!" she reached for my hand. She rested her other hand on
her stomach.
"I can't. The baby! Remember?"
I stared at her and frowned. "Why?" I paused. "Oh right! The
baby! I forgot - no
drinking."
"Relax. I'm OK. Sit and finish your
dinner."
We sat and ate. Afterward, I reached across the
table and held her left hand in
mine. I looked into those sparkling brown
eyes. "Thank you, Hun. Thank you for wanting to be the mother of our children.
Your parents will be so excited." I looked down at the table where I still held
her hand. The flickering candle reflected off our bands of gold. "I love you,
future Mama." I lifted her hand and kissed her ring.
"It hurts so bad!" Georgia screamed.
"Pant!" I screamed back. "Pant! Puff, puff, puff,
pufffff!"
"Stop blowing in my face!" She yelled at me.
Another contraction ripped through her body. "Mrs.
Smith!" the doctor said. "I
need one more big push."
"You can do it, Hun!" I held her hand, or rather;
she gripped mine in a vice.
I saw our hands. My fingers were white from the
lack of circulation. The lights above the table reflected off our rings.
"Look at her eyes, Michael! She's so alert." Georgia
was in the recovery room.
She cradled our little Vanessa in her left
arm.
I stroked Georgia's hair. My ring twinkled as her hair polished
it. "She's
beautiful, Hun. Thank you."
She looked up at me. "That wasn't so bad. I could do
it again?"
Tears streamed down my cheeks. "Honey, you mean you
would go through this
again? You had so much pain!"
"I want our dream of a girl and a boy." Her hand
rested on the blankets warming
our new daughter - the gold of her band
accented by the white cloth.
"Mr. Smith, meet your new son." The nurse smiled and
placed him in my arms.
"Hi, Justin!" He cried and waved his tiny arms in response. I
placed our new son
in Georgia's arms. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" I bent
and kissed her. My left
hand stroked her cheek. My gold band shone with her
perspiration. "I love you."
We sat across the table from each other. A candle
burned between us. Hushed
voices from other tables filtered through my
thoughts.
I looked into those brown eyes, as I so often did. "Happy
anniversary, Georgia."
"Happy anniversary, Michael."
"Ten years! Can you believe it?"
"I hope the kids are OK."
"Hun, they're fine. This is our night." I reached
for her hand and held it in mine.
Like the bands in a tree trunk, our skin
had begun to show the wrinkles of life. The fire of the candle reflected off our
rings, reminding me of a night long ago, when she smiled and said, "I'm
pregnant."
I sat on our sofa playing with my ring. I
remembered forgetting to put it on after Georgia cleaned it one day. At work, I
kept reaching for it with my thumb. I felt
empty without it.
Now I had a decision to make. I looked at Georgia's picture on
the TV stand. "When do I take it off?" I asked no one. I was alone. Our children
were in their rooms,
grieving in their own way. Georgia's urn rested on the
credenza in the dining room. We'd brought her home from the service that
afternoon. Her ring rested in my left palm. "When do I take mine off?"
I was afraid. If I took it off, would it mean the
love we shared was gone? The
band of gold stayed on my finger. When my thumb
touched it, my thoughts drifted to
past times and not to the future and the
life we planned. "When do I take it off?" I asked myself again. It was with me
from the day we'd married more than nineteen years earlier. It'd been on my
finger when I changed my children's diapers. We took drives, my hand held the
steering wheel. The ring reflected the sunshine. It circled my finger when we
made love. The day she took her last breath, I held her hand and the ring
reflected the machines that had kept her alive.
I reached behind my neck and undid the clasp of the
gold chain. She'd given it
to me on our first Christmas together. I threaded
her ring onto it and started to put it
back around my neck. I paused and put
it down. The fingers of my right hand reached for my ring a final time. I
twirled it around like old times and then slipped it off. I held it to the
light. It was scratched and dented from the rigors of living. It joined
Georgia's ring on the chain.
My hand felt empty without its comforting weight, but the
combined rings
hanging around my neck soothed my pain - a reminder of our
years together.
Almost a year later, I stood with Ginny in a New
York City court house. She took
my hand and placed another band of gold
around my finger. I took her hand and placed my band of gold on her finger.
The Justice of the Peace smiled. "I pronounce you man and wife.
Michael, you
may now kiss the bride." Ginny slipped into my arms. Our lips
met. I hugged her to me. On her shoulder I saw my hand and the ring on my finger
- a band of love.
Ginny and I sat on our deck reading. I held my book
in my right hand.
My left hand rested on my lap. A sparkle caused me to
blink. I looked down.
The new band reflected the sun. Ginny looked up at me,
"I love you."
"Love you more."
"Love you too." We played our
game.
She turned back to her book. I stared at my ring
again. It meant more than
marriage. Like life, it had a beginning and an
end. I started one journey with Georgia.
"Until death do we part." we
repeated - a beginning and an end. We followed the band of gold to her end.
"Gin?"
She looked up from her book. "Yes?"
"I need to do something."
She looked puzzled. "What?" I reached up, unclipped
my chain, and removed the
two rings. "Michael, what are you
doing?"
"It's time to let go, Gin."
"But they mean so much to you."
"Yes they do, but it is time to move forward. It's
like starting a new year. I need
to let go of the old and enjoy the new."
She stood, walked over and sat in my lap. She wrapped her arms
around me. "I understand."
I held up my left hand. "Look!"
She stared at my hand. "What?"
"See how the sun reflects off it? I've been blessed
to have you in my life. I have a
new band of love, a new life, a new
beginning, a new year and you. It's time to move
forward. I love you,
Ginny"
The pictures in this next video are from my home province of Nova
Scotia. The lady singing is Rita McNeil. She was quite famous one
time. This is beautiful http://youtube.com/watch?v=qsj4b7iX760
Now from comments from my last post:
I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and I'm wishing a
fantastic new year for you. Michael, you bring so much joy to all the people
who read your stories. How very much you are appreciated. Love to you and
Ginny ~
Your Iowa friend, Linda
Love this! Hope you and Ginny had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and hope you
have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Liz
Merry Christmas to you and your family and wishing you a Blessed
2008.
Steve
Dear Mr. Smith:
I want to greet you and your
family, a
Merry Christmas and a Prosperous
New Year in my own dialect:
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong
Bagong Taon ( Tagalog)
Malipayong Pasko ug Bulahang Bag-ong
Tuig (Cebuano )
Jovita in the Philippines
Beautiful....this makes one think, doesn't it. Enjoy, and again, a
most
joyous Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!
I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS
BEAUTIFUL MESSAGE.
Diana D
A wonderful story, as usual. I wish you and Ginny a really Happy Christmas.
May your love be light and shelter for Baby Jesus.
Jessica.
Hello Michael,
Thanks for all the lovely stories you write.
Here's
wishing you and all your loved ones
a Very Merry Christmas. God Bless.
Jerome
Hi Michael!
Thanks for your kind greetings and good stories. I have just
celebrated
Christmas with my husband, three daughters and one son in law. We
have
had a great evening, and I am so grateful for all the abundance that
surrounds me on all levels. I don't think about money, but blessings.
And I have two grandchildren coming, one in February, and the other one
in July. No wonder I am happy. I give my greetings to you and your loved
ones.
Barbro in Norway
Well done Mike - a much better format and easier to read, Happy
Christmas.
Keith
Dearest Mike and Ginny,
I wish you a very blessed Christmas. May the
Lord's presence fill your
household and bring you a special visitation of
the miracle of the manger.
Blessings...
Lynn
Merry Christmas Michael and Ginny!
I soooo look forward to your
greetings....like a child looking for a
hidden Christmas present they can't
find! Everything you send...touches..
Fondly,
The McBride family
(Cheri) | 
