My oldest is going to a friends house to watch movies
and have fun with a bunch of girls that don't have valentines
themselves and commiserate with each other.
So much pressure and stress about Valentine's Day.
I don't know if it's just that I'm getting older
but Valentine's Day means something
different to me now than ever before.
I care more about the days in between each Valentine's Day.
I am the first to admit love can be challenging
(certain things can bug and annoy me
and I know I am not always a picnic of roses---
life can be difficult, hard
and seemingly impossible to navigate)
but it can be beautiful, sweet and wonderful too.
It's in the everyday
that means so much to me.
It's the way he tries to make us all laugh
after a difficult moment
that touches me.
Or the way he works hard by
going into work early in the morning
and working long hours
to provide for us
that really matter.
It's the way he will pick up
a rotisserie chicken, french bread and a Cesar salad in a bag
from the store again, and again,
without complaining.
It's the way he will fold clothes with me or for me.
It's the way he looks at me
as if we haven't been married
for 27 years
and he hasn't seen me in the worst possible light
(and I mean that in so many ways).
It's the way he whispers "I'm sorry" in my ear.
It's not really about bringing me flowers
or what ever else I thought I needed
(although, it's nice when he does bring me those things)
but it's by the way he shows me
each and every single day
that he loves me more now than he ever did before.
I feel a complicated mix of contentment,
happiness, gratitude, humility, love,
and the determination to be better.
This is what I want for Valentine's Day.
