Love is

When I hear the phrase love is ... I do tend to think of the Bible verse. Love is patient, Love is kind, Love can do no wrong. That is all true. There is a lot more to love though. Sometimes we are not patient, sometimes we are unkind, and sometimes even the best partner acts like an ass (I'm sorry for all the times I have been that partner). 

There is also the side of love that we don't talk about that much. The act of getting up early to make sure that my husband has a dry jacket to wear to work. My husband taking the time to always kiss us good bye before going to work and making sure that the door is locked. These are the silent ways we say I love you, I need you, I want you to be safe and healthy.

I once thought that love meant every day had to be some grand romance. During the first bloom of our relationship it was very much a grand whirl wind romance. We moved in together quite early. Most evenings had us off on some adventure or another. Dinner, drinks, an evening exploring the city, or whatever else struck our fancy. I felt entitled to the little gifts my now husband brought home. I didn't think about the time and effort he put into them. It was all just very much life in the moment.

Our love life now is different. We have gone the distance there have been good times, there have been bad times, there have been years that were fat and years that got pretty skinny. Sometimes we have gone to bed angry and sometimes we have gone to bed in each others arms. I don't always break out the good undies on date night and honestly I can't remember the last time we had a date without chaperone of one of the kids or more. We don't always have the best communication but we manage to get the important things handled one way or another. We aren't the image of romance but I still like to hold his hand. I know when he brings me home a bouquet of flowers or my favorite chocolate bar that he took the extra time and effort to make one more stop after the end of a long day. He knows that when I have a fresh towel and clean sweats waiting next to the shower for him I spent that extra moment thinking of his comfort. We might not have a grand romance but we have love.

So love is waking up next to someone and knowing that you can't imagine being any place else. Even if you went to bed angry the night before. Love is that spark of excitement when the door opens when they come home at night. Love is a husband who will watch Food Network with you even when he would much rather be watching something on Comedy Central. It's that kind of love that gets you through and makes you want to grow old with someone.