💬 “You Never Asked Me What I Wanted”
Then she said:
“You never even asked me if I liked it.”
That sentence hit me harder than anything else.
Because she was right.
I had been so focused on what I thought an engagement ring should look like that I completely forgot whose engagement it was.
It wasn’t mine.
It wasn’t my marriage.
It wasn’t my ring.
It was hers.
💰 I Made the Mistake of Connecting Price With Love
I realize now that somewhere along the way, I had started equating an expensive ring with a meaningful proposal.
I thought a bigger stone meant a bigger commitment.
I thought a more expensive ring meant a man had gone the extra mile.
But that’s not necessarily true.
A person can spend thousands on jewelry and still be a terrible partner.
And someone can choose a modest ring while building a relationship filled with love, respect, loyalty, and kindness.
The price tag doesn’t tell you what happens when the bills come due.
It doesn’t tell you who stays when someone is sick.
It doesn’t tell you who makes dinner when the other person has had a terrible day.
It doesn’t tell you who listens.
It doesn’t tell you who apologizes.
And it certainly doesn’t tell you whether two people will still love each other twenty years from now.
🥺 Then My Daughter Asked Me a Question
She looked at me and asked:
“Mom, if the ring were bigger, would you finally approve of him?”
I couldn’t answer.
Because suddenly I understood what she was really asking.
She wasn’t asking about jewelry.
She was asking whether I trusted her judgment.
Whether I respected her choices.
Whether I believed she was capable of choosing a husband for herself.
And the uncomfortable truth was that my behavior had made it seem as though I didn’t.
