What You Need Is An Every Day Kind of Love
“I was thinking,” he said, after I turned out the light. “Maybe on Sunday we could hop in the car and go use that gift certificate to have lunch. A Valentine’s date.”
“Are you sure?” I said. “You’ve been so tired. I think maybe you need a more restful day at home. And I don’t need Valentine’s Day to know you love me.”
“Really?” he said. An exhale of disbelief came from his side of the bed.
“You make me feel loved and cared for every day,” I said. “I’ve never needed a February 14th.”
I thought of all the regular days –the Tuesdays and the Thursday nights and the Saturday trips to the dump. Days when he had looked at me, with no roses or chocolates in hand, and said, “Do you know that I love you today?”
Special days when my teeth weren’t brushed but he still managed to make me feel lovely.
He couldn’t see my smile in the dark.
The smile of a woman who is cared for.
Now it is 2:30 a.m., and I’m awake as usual for a little while with insomnia. I’m here in the wee hours of the morning to tell you that you are a person who is loved and cherished.
You have a reason to smile in the dark.
“I have loved you,” Jesus says. (John 13:34 NIV)
In English it’s called the present perfect tense, to say one has done something. It describes an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and may continue in the future.
A Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday kind of love.
You don’t need February 14th to be one of the satisfied ones. You don’t need the perfect card or the perfect man wearing cologne and bearing flowers. No candlelight over an expensive meal.
You have Jesus.
Do you know that Jesus loves you today?
Hey, I shared your post to my Facebook page with this:
Love this! And, it’s so true…it’s the little things that make us feel loved. The coffee he brings to me in bed on Saturday morning, the “light up of his eyes” when he walks in the door in the evening (along with his droopy, tired shoulders and leaden feet after a hard day) and sees me, the “I love you” whispered across the room as he rocks our littles to sleep, the “I’ll check her” when Cayenne comes in the room in the middle of the night alerting us about Hannah’s blood sugar. So many things that show me an every day kind of love. I love you, My Riverman!!
Thank you so much for sharing! And thank you for this truly romantic description of your man. Good stuff! 🙂
When you said Feb 15th the second time, I knew it wasn’t a typo, but you must’ve mistaken Valentine’s Day to be on 12/15, which is FINE. Because we don’t need Valentine’s Day to know that we are loved, be it on Feb 14, 15 or 29!!!
A reason to smile in the dark…thank you, Jesus! Love this, Christy. Thanks!
Thank you for writing this. I needed it today. <3
I love the reminder! Jesus loves me…this I know…
Beautifully said! I have a man like that, too…and what a blessing to have a Savior who loves us so!
I love your simple, thoughtful posts. It has almost been a year and a half since my sweet husband passed away and thank you for the reminder that I have Jesus and His all consuming love! BTW, did you mean February 15th? Valentine’s Day is the 14th!
Well, I went back and corrected the day. My dad and my father-in-law both passed away on February 15th, so that was the day that was truly on my heart when I wrote this. I was thinking of all the grieving, lonely ones I know. A huge hug to you. May you feel the love of God deeply this weekend -on the 14th and the 15th! 🙂
You know Valentine’s Day is the 14th, right? And I hope you have a very happy one!! God is love…thanks, as always, for your posts. Yours is the only one I immediately open and read. 🙂
Oops -I went back and corrected the day. 🙂 Thanks for the kind word!!