Yesterday, the stone in my engagement ring fell out.

I was, and still am, quite sad about it. But not for the usual reasons. To me, it's about what that ring and that stone represent.

Ben and I got engaged in October of 2001, after about two months or so of dating. Soon, I know, but I knew very early on that he was the person I wanted to build a life with. And he knew the same of me.

The proposal was very on-brand for us: not flashy, not planned. I was getting ready to leave his house and drive the 40 minutes back to my apartment (I'd moved in with a friend shortly before he and I met). As we were saying goodbye, he said to me: "You know, when we're married, we won't have to do as much driving." And I just nodded and said, "Yeah, that's reasonable."

A couple of minutes later, he said: "Oh, um... wait. Did I say when we're married?"

"Yep."

"Does that freak you out?"

"Nope."

"Okay, good. Um, will you marry me?"

"Yeah!"

He officially proposed a couple of nights later. No ring yet, but he promised I'd get one for Christmas. A couple of days after THAT, we were at Walmart waiting for new tires to be put on his truck when we looked at engagement rings.

We were both pretty broke at the time - he was taking classes at the local community college and waiting tables; I was working the front desk at a nearby hotel and as previously mentioned had just moved out of my parents' house. So I selected a simple, inexpensive set. 

He bought it for me that week.

So to me, the ring not only represents our love, our marriage, our lives. It represents a time when we had no money but were rich in love. We're much better off financially now, and he is talking about an upgrade.

Don't get me wrong: I want a shiny, pretty new ring! And honestly, I'm mildly shocked it hadn't fallen out sooner. And for the price, we're not even sure the diamond in it was real. But it served me well for 24 years and was a tangible reminder of this one concept:

Even if you don't have a lot of money, if you have love, you're wealthy beyond measure.