I'm touched by the little ways my family shows their love for me. I'm such a forgetful person, so I need to record these before the memories flit away into nothing. I call their acts of love "Living Love Notes".
Here are some acts of love from this month:
Matthew picked some lovely flowers and brought me a beensy bouquet of spring's first blossoms.
Sarah and Matthew both volunteer to babysit for free when Nathan and I have a date night (which is a very rare thing these days now that our DI team is meeting every Friday night in addition to our regular meets).
Daniel wrote me such a lovely thank-you card this week, decorated with carefully-drawn pictures. He also likes to surprise me by making my bed as a secret service.
Sarah reads bedtime stories to the boys for me when I'm too tired to read aloud that night.
One morning Sarah created a delightful surprise for Nathan and me. She sweetly encouraged us to stay in bed and cuddle while she busily worked in the kitchen. After about 30 minutes, she invited us into the dining room for her surprise. She had made breakfast for the entire family, complete with eggnog-flavored hot cereal (her favorite breakfast lately), toasted bagels, a variety of fresh fruit, hot toast, and herbal tea. With her usual attention to detail, she lovingly set the table with a cloth, pretty dishes, and flowers. It wasn't my birthday or anything special- she did it 'just because'.
I was so surprised and touched with her gift. I was reminded again how important it is to show our love to each other through actions, not words.
Speaking of words though, this year I received the best anniversary gift from Nathan. He wrote me a poem full of meaningful memories and sincere sentiment. It's beautiful, and every time I read it I get teary-eyed. I'm not sure if it makes much sense to other readers since it refers to so many personal moments, but I truly love this gift.
When I read it, my mind plays a montage of memories....just like the scene from "Up" where the life story of a lifelong romance is shown in a few minutes.
Holding Hands
Fondly, I remember you in simple, happy times
When clumsily I wooed you over bits of Russian rhymes.
Lending you my winter coat as up your hill we walked;
Sharing Fong's and parfaits as we laughed and planned and talked.
I held your hand upon the hill; I'd only let it go
When curfew sent me marching back alone and in the snow.
And all the happy moments reading voices in the dark,
The dance, the dunes, the black eye, and some kisses in the park.
Sometimes now it's difficult to simply stop and stand;
There isn't time enough to talk or hold each other's hand.
Please don't get discouraged when there's marker on the walls;
Or noise, or toys, or dirty children running down the halls.
Think of chubby, little arms in puffy winter coats,
Of reading books with voices, and playing with the goats,
Excited toddler babbling, of games played in the dark,
Of tiny hugs and sticky hands and bubbles in the park.
Then when you tuck them into bed and see them sleeping there
You'll see in them a mix of us: their eyes, or nose or hair.
Remember when I held your hand another sacred time,
When, dressed in white, you made me yours and gave yourself as mine.
Treasure up these memories and save them for the day
When memories seem all that's left of treasures gone away.
And then we'll look, and cry and laugh at our perfected plans-
And set out on some newer ones- but always holding hands.
Happy 12th Anniversary
Oh goodness, I love him so much!
I'm so thankful for all the little ways he shows his love for me, such as:
- Making the bed in the morning
- Brushing my hair lovingly
- Pampering me by running a hot bubble bath for me when I'm stressed
-Cooking beautiful homemade breakfasts for me just because, like Eggs Benedict, or biscuits and gravy, or gourmet waffles topped with fruit.
- Mailing me hand-written letters just so I have a fun surprise in the mailbox
- Telling me I'm beautiful dozens of times every single day
- Bringing home organic dark chocolate for me when he runs errands in town
- Driving Daniel to school so I can have a relatively relaxing morning focusing on home school with the other children
-Supporting and encouraging me in all my crazy antics (like hosting a DI summer camp, converting part of our home into an art studio, coaching DI in our home, etc.)
- Fixing things in our house (like when our ceiling fans and washer broke...he studied everything online he could find about the topic, ordered the parts, and spent an evening disassembling and repairing them. I LOVE the way he can fix anything and take care of our home! It makes me feel cared-for in a fundamental way.)
It's hard to believe we've been married that long- time seems to pass us by so quickly. I can't imagine life without him by my side.
Words fail me so miserably when I try to express the inner feelings of my heart- all I can say is simply that I love him and look forward to growing old with him. I am humbled when I think what a privilege it is to be his eternal companion.
I'm surrounded by so many manifestations of love. I'm so grateful for their kindness, and once again motivated to be a kinder, more loving person. Family is such a treasure.
