I know what Love Is

           I thought I knew what love should be like.  When I was a teenager I was always unlucky enough not to have a boyfriend or even a sweetie for Valentines day.  I envied my friends who went out on Valentines days with their sweetheart and came back with flowers. My first Valentines with a boyfriend was exciting; I was 18 years old and he was 20. I was expecting the works. What I got was a hokey card with no inscription just a signature at the end...and a box. Now when you opened said box there was a plastic fluttering heart inside. It was the ugliest thing that I had ever seen. Instead of going out we stayed at my parents house where we ate dinner with my Brothers and Parents. Needless to say I was very disappointed, but I didn't show it.

         When my husband came along years later I received plenty of beautiful cards and flowers from him. It was a perfect show of love for me I thought. What I didn't know then was that those trinkets though full of love, were nothing compared to the future that lay before us. Love is together holding our baby Daughter and then Son for the first time and watching the world just disappear for a few moments as we were consumed with instant love for our children.

           Love to us became long letters to and from home when he was away over seas. Love was waiting for hours for the chance that he may call home that night and spend 15 precious minutes with us. Love was seeing his face as he picked up his kids in his arms when he came home safe and sound. Love was there when I had  life saving surgery and my husband was the only one who changed bandages and emptied drain pumps. Love is his eyes and the way he still looks at me. Love is him or I seeing the way time has changed us physically, but still seeing those two young people in each other's eyes.

            Love means watching our kids grow and wondering where the time has gone. Love now means, him putting dishes in the dish washer and me helping him out on some house project.  Love now means worrying together about the future and feeling the comfort that we want to be together for all of it. Love now means that after all this time we still make each other laugh and we still want to hold each other's hand when we walk together. I know what love is. And I thank God for it all. Happy Valentine's Day~Love To All!!! Blessings, Joanne