Cassie L. Graham I
contributing writer
Waiting on My “Bling”
When she was a teenager my grandmother had many “suitors.” The power of love stretched across the Atlantic Ocean
while young men were at war. The love letters were lengthy. My grandmother read the fourteen-page letters like chapter books; savoring them one page at a time. Letters addressed to her came from more than one soldier, but she confides that all along she knew the one she wanted. When he James came home from the war, grandmother dropped nursing school like a hot frying pan and was hitched within a month of receiving her engagement ring. She was only nineteen at the time yet; their union would be a “til death do us part,” romance. My grandfather has been gone twenty-nine years, but grandmother still wears her wedding ring. In fact, it only came off once in sixty-seven years and that was to allow me to try it on. This ring washes her dishes, debones the chicken, and plants petunias right along with her working hands. It is a two-karat diamond set in platinum and she tells me, “they don’t make them like this any more.”
Just like that ring, we all long for the kind of love “they don’t make anymore.” There seems to be a huge marriage rush for people in their twenties nowadays. Aſter being in serious dating relationships for a few years or more, peo- ple are getting married at younger ages once again. I’m twenty-one and currently waiting on my bling. I
catch myself staring at my naked finger all the time. It seems like 2013 was the year of engagements. Everyone around me- all of my friends, enemies, and acquain- tances have been proposed to this year. Their diamonds range from enormous to tiny, from sweet to gaudy, from cubic zirconium to five karats, and from cushion cuts to ovals. My Big Sorority Sister got engaged and my Little Sorority Sister got engaged this year. People in their twenties are so over dating. Rather than going out with different people, today’s younger generation is involved in serious dating relationships- “going steady” or “very serious.” These young couples are ready to take the big
step. Bling is everywhere I look … except on my finger. At Thanksgiving between my boyfriend Shady’s fam- ily and mine, I was asked numerous times, “when is the big announcement?” and “where is your diamond?”- to which I replied, “I ask myself that question every day too!” With each inquiry he blushed and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he answered. Of course, I knew better than that. I had ten possible scenarios in my head of how he would ask me. Maybe I will get it with my new puppy. My fluffy puppy came… without a ring. Aſter an important dance performance, I just knew I would get engaged in front of the Christmas lights. The lights twin- kled on the trees, but my nonexistent diamond lacked luster. The last resort was Christmas. I was ready to say “yes.” Finally, a grand proposal took place on Christmas Eve… but the string of Christmas lights that spelled out Marry Me were intended for my Big Sister rather than me. “I’m so happy for you!” I keep saying. I have been
hired to be a top-notch brides maid for the year of 2015. I plan to put in lots of practice and work overtime. Despite my future obligations, I still feel leſt out of all of the excitement. as I live out “always a brides- maid and never a bride.” The club of fiancés doesn’t have an open spot for me. My head spun everyday with thoughts of when and how I’d get my bling. Finally, I put my big head of thoughts on a leash. Marriages are sup- posed to last longer than engagements I told myself. Good things come to those who wait. There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1). My time will come, its just not right now. I have come to the realization that being engaged is just a thing. Bling is a symbol of everything a marriage represents. Not what makes a relationship what it is. I don’t need bling to know that he cares for me, that he loves me, or that he will be laughing at my ridiculous jokes and letting me cry on his shoulder for the rest of our lives. They say that when you know, you know, and I know that I’m blessed with a companion who won’t fit on my finger but can hold my hand and fill my heart. Aſter all, every good and perfect giſt is from above (James 1:17). Until that special time, I’m going to bask in the joy of having a boyfriend instead of a fiancé, being a Ms. before my “I do’s”, relax instead of planning a wedding, and truly enjoy the new year while I’m waiting on my bling.
110
February 2014
shemagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147