Saturday 29 December 2012

Fifth Day of Christmas


On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... five gold rings.

Gold rings now are associated with marriage bands.

I only have to look at my immediate family for inspiration when it comes to marriage. 

The most romantic is probably my father's parents. My grandfather was a Latvian/Russian Jew. His family had left Russia to avoid the pogroms and settled in Germany. Unfortunately there is nobody left from that side of the family to tell the story; but as far as I can piece together I think my grandfather was into import/export and must have met my grandmother in London. She then visited him in Berlin (in the 1930s no less) and they were married at the beginning of 1940. Sadly my grandfather was killed in a road traffic accident at the end of that year, just after my father was born. My grandmother brought my father up alone, and never re-married. Such love.

The happiest and most long lasting marriages I know are my mother's parents and my own parents. They were married on the same date in July 30 odd years apart. 

My grandparents were married during the war (my grandfather in his RAF uniform) and I think it was their 55th anniversary he replaced my grandmother's wartime wedding ring with a new one. Every photo I have of them together the love radiates between them. 

My parents were married in the 1970s on the same date. Growing up with such a loving marriage meant I had a very happy childhood. My parents celebrated just short of 40 years of marriage before my father passed away. 

Many of the happiest family memories from my childhood are big family parties celebrating wedding anniversaries. My grandparents' ruby, gold and emerald; my parents' silver and pearl; even my godparents' ruby.

It's not five gold rings; but they are the best examples of gold rings I can come up with