Every year my husband Chris and I wander into the card aisle at Target and select cards for each other, even though we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day.
“This is the card I’d buy for you if I were going to buy a card,” I say. He does the same. We give each other a high five and proclaim we just saved $10.
Having one day in the middle of February to express love and appreciation seems contrived. I’d rather have someone surprise me on any other day with a kind word, flowers, or a heart-felt sentiment.
Where do we find love every day?
Love is making tater tot casserole for Chris, even though most of the family won’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.
Love is Henry throwing a football to Isaac. Love is Isaac squealing in delight when he catches it and runs down the hall. Love is Isaac wrestling with Henry for the chance to keep the ball.
Love is Noah playing a trombone duet with Henry.
Love is Chris filling up the ice cube trays because nobody in the family seems to know how.
Love is Isaac looking me in the eye every morning with a smile on his face. Love is hearing him say, “Mom, toast. Mom.” Love is replying dramatically the same way every morning, “I’m not eating toast for breakfast.” Love is hearing Isaac shout, “Yes!”
Love is Noah walking two miles with me on a crisp fall Saturday afternoon so we can stretch our legs and share conversation.
Love is bringing fancy cupcakes to Isaac’s school for his Valentine’s Day party.
Love is creating a math facts app with Henry and allowing him to be the designer.
Love is Isaac hoping every day that bus #34 will come to pick him up for school. Love is hearing Isaac say, “Bus 34, go out the door.”
Love is making sure kids do homework. Love is taking away privileges.
Love is seeing Noah and Henry sitting next to each other on the couch playing video games together.
Love is Isaac obsessively listening to the country music station, K98.5 FM. Love is Isaac singing along to the songs “Mama’s Broken Heart” and “One Hell of an Amen” while we drive around town. Love is not drinking and driving.
Love is going to work every day.
Love is Chris taking kids to the farmers market and buying funky-looking vegetables.
Love is laughing together about the Super Bowl commercials.
Love is taking Isaac somewhere almost every night at 6:59 p.m.
Love is hearing Noah’s beautiful bass voice during a vocal concert. Love is feeling grateful to have both sets of grandparents sitting in the audience.
Love is eating the same breakfast every weekday morning before school. Love is cutting up ripe strawberries to go along with the gluten-free peanut butter toast.
Love is Henry bringing a banana to school every day for a snack. Love is Henry telling his teacher he finds bananas appealing. Love is using puns.
Love is kissing each boy before bedtime. Love is hearing Isaac say, “See you in the morning.”
Love is finding the good in every day.