Well I did it.

I have had my wedding rings from my first marriage sitting in my underwear drawer for six years. I called these my “guilt gems” because every time I tried to figure out what to do with them, I felt guilty.

I didn’t want to “get rid of them”. They represented a relations that gave me two beautiful kids. So I needed a way to be respectful, but also not pass them on. There was no reason to.

So following Susy Flory’s lead (you can see that post here) I took my rings into a jeweler in Los Gatos named Glenn Lovelady, of Lovelady Diamond. His website:  http://www.gemgate.com/ (he also does things over the web.)

I didn’t get a lot for them (we were young and broke when we got them) but we got what I expected.

Now I am using that money to support something that I am growing more and more passionate about.

Kiva.com is an organization that does micro loans for mostly 3^rd world countries. Roger and I have been making some loans and it is so exciting to see how little money can make a huge difference in a family. Here are the loans that we made this week using the money from the rings:

Rodellia Diniay is producing and selling peanut butter (something I am VERY passionate about,) in the Philippines and Laura is selling agrifood products in Lebanon.

I feel the key to letting go of something that holds so much emotional/sentimental/monetary value was to decide in advance what it was going to be going to. My husband Roger put it best (if not a little weirdly…)

“It’s like Tarzan swinging through the jungle. He has to let go of one vine before he go forward and go to the next one.”

I feel great about the decision and feel it honors these pieces. I feel like I was able to give up something of value because I was going to be investing it in something even more valuable.

My question for you: Yesterday I asked what it was that you have of value that you no longer need: everything from wedding rings to scrapbooking supplies. Today, I want to ask, if you had somewhere for that money to go, where would it be? A child’s scholarship fund? A favorite charity? A family trip?

Where would you spend $100 if you had it?