The Rings

Wedding rings are symbolic reminders
of the unbroken circle of a healthy and abiding love.

The wedding ring is a circle
symbolizing the sun, the earth,
and the universe.
It is a symbol of wholeness,
perfection, and peace.
As you enter into the circle
of your shared love,
may you be blessed
through your devotion to this union.
May your journey as husband and wife
be filled with peace, love, and joy.

Within the safety and comfort of a true marriage,
love freely given has no beginning and no end.
Each of you gives your love to the other and each of you receives love from the other
and thus, the circle of love is complete.

These rings are also significant because of the inscriptions that they carry:

The inscriptions come from a story that both Kirsten and I analyzed in our respective dissertations: Antonio José Ponte’s “Un arte de hacer ruinas” or “A Knack for Making Ruins.” The story is about the precarious living situation in Havana where many Cubans survive in the ruins of a city that is literally crumbling apart. In the story, some of the citizens create an alternate reality or a parallel universe in what would have been the subway tunnels. (The subway was never built). The password to enter this underground parallel reality involves two parts. The gatekeeper states, “A mí me ronca arriba” (it rankles me above), and the person entering responds, “A mí me ronca abajo” (it rankles me below), thus repeating an inscription on a coin that is also part of the travel between alternate dimensions. This enigmatic inscription is how I proposed to Kirsten.