Sparkle

Last year I fell in love with these cheap rings from Forever 21 - vintage style mix and match with faux pearls and diamonds. I loved them. They were so me. But like all things shiny from Forever 21, they weren't shiny for long. The instant tarnish of anything with a metallic finish on costume jewelry is so discouraging.

I loved them so much that I thought I wanted something like that that would not tarnish, something to stay.  I'm not a big fine jewelry kind of gal, but this was a rare time I really, really wanted something. So I was going to tell my dear husband about my heart's desire, that maybe he could give me a new stacking ring on special occasions but I hesitated... afraid to sound silly... afraid to ask for expensive, fine jewelry.

The year 2013 came and I started a workbook for the year, exploring my dreams, desires and goals. One of the tasks was to pick a word for the year.

I picked "sparkle". It's what I wanted for this year.

Last year was one of the most amazing years of my life. So much wonderful, but so much change and transition. I was often in survival mode.

This year I wanted more than survival. I wanted things to shine. I wanted things to flow. I wanted things to sparkle. Thus the word.

I made an inspiration collage representing "sparkle" and went about my business. In the workbook, it asked, what could make your life more like the word you chose? One of the things I wrote down was "a sparkly ring". But still I didn't tell anyone else of my wish.

Recently I went to see my grandma, my Me-ma as I called her when I was a child. She had a surprise for me. A diamond ring she'd inherited from an old family friend. It was special to her. She wanted to give it to me. I was thankful, but a little bit taken aback because it was such a big gift and such a surprise.

In the following days, after shining it up and putting it on my finger, I stared at it and my heart went pitter pat.  Sparkle. It's a beautiful, one of a kind vintage ring, that is unique and so (dare I say it) bohemian. And I wondered at that ring sitting on my finger, that my heart had desired, that God gave, that my grandma gave. Just a little thing. Something special. Something to sparkle.

p.s. For those of you who have been watching the recent season of The Bachelor, I can't help but offer this: