All You Need Is Love Thank You Very Much

I saw on a church sign on my travels “All you need is love – but a little chocolate doesn’t hurt”.   It made me smile.

On this day of love, what are you doing/ thinking about? How are you celebrating?

Are you feeling the pressure to do “something/anything” to impress someone?  Or are you enjoying all the day has to offer?  Or are you ignoring it completely?

I’ll be honest, I’ve spent many Valentine’s Days setting impossible expectations for my husband to achieve.  Hoping he’ll read my mind and do something out of a cheesy romantic comedy to capture my attention and heart.  Of course, that is unrealistic and next to impossible to achieve.

Hollywood movies I think ruin more marriages and relationships than anything else.  They set this impossible standard of what relationships and love is supposed to look like and be.

It was about “what am I getting?  what are you going to do for ME?” and nothing to do with what HE actually wanted.

Lesson learned.

An article I read today suggests that writing a thank you note to the one you love is more meaningful, and is more likely to strengthen a relationship than any “I Love You” in a generic card could ever do. Better than the dozen roses and candlelit dinners (which by the way never feel as romantic or glamorous as they make it look on the big screen, am I right?”

Do you think you say thank you enough?  I’m working on it.

I’m thankful for a patient husband who loves me through all my crazy moods and emotional roller coaster rides.   Who buys me flowers and chocolate when it’s NOT Valentine’s Day.

Who does the dishes and the laundry without being asked.  Who eats the veggies on his plate for dinner because that’s what I made after a long day and I forgot aren’t his favourite.

I’m thankful for a husband who passes me the remote and let’s me chose what to watch when he’d rather watch wrestling or some other sports.

My husband doesn’t love Valentine’s Day and part of being in a relationship is learning to accept him for who he is and stop putting pressure on him to be someone he isn’t.  We can use money that would have been spent on flowers or chocolates and use it for something else that we NEED.  If that isn’t growth as an adult, I don’t know what is!  (smile).

I guess I’m just thankful.  Almost 20 years of marriage I don’t have high expectations.  He’s almost got me convinced it’s just a made up holiday.  ALMOST!

I do think there is power in saying thank you and showing appreciation to those you love.  I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to say thank you for all that he does that I know I have always taken for granted –  especially for killing the spiders when they get in the house.  I feel much safer and it’s so much easier than moving. (smile)

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan