Yesterday was Valentines Day! It’s the florists, candy and card makers “Dream Day,” when they make up for the slow days of January. Most of the time, it’s just another day of the week at our house. We’ve never “done anything special” on February 14th. To be honest, several times we’ve gone to the card aisle, picked out the “perfect Valentine,” showed them to each other, and put them back on the shelf! This year, Steve “blew my mind” by showing up at the office with flowers! Who knew that I would be so thrilled to be one of the “many” who had deliveries all day. (Note to husbands: Wives really do like to get flowers ANY day at work!) Anyway, I had a co-worker come to “see my flowers,” and we got to talking about love – real love. She made the statement, “This is so nice, but you know, it’s really only the appearance of love.” Wow! Isn’t that the truth? Anyone can pick out a card, order flowers, or buy candy for someone, but that doesn’t mean that they “love” them. True love doesn’t have to be “advertised to the world.” It isn’t showy!
It’s looking for opportunities to serve each other. It’s helping out with the laundry, so the other one doesn’t have to do it. It’s fixing each other’s coffee, cutting each other’s toenails, and making sure the gas tank is full. Love is taking the time to “share” your day when you get home. It’s turning on both sides of the electric blanket in advance, and sitting through television shows and/or movies that would not be your “pick.” (Steve and I have actually gotten to where we can go to the movies and see different shows in different theaters at the same time and still consider it a wonderful date!) Of course, it’s also hugging, kissing, and loving, but true love is being held while you cry. It’s being able to sit in the same room for hours at a time together and not have to talk – just being together makes you smile. It’s when you go on vacation and look forward to the “alone time in the car,” as much as you do the rest of the trip.
As you can tell, I have been blessed with true love in this life with my high school sweetheart, Steve, that I’ve been married to for over 39 years. We’ve faced such joys and we faced a time when we said, “good-bye” to each other when he almost died from the virus attacking his heart five years ago. I don’t take our love for granted for I know that I have been blessed with true love. Happy Valentine’s Day, Steve! God Bless, Courtney