February 2022 – Sweat & Sparkle

My Valentine

Our love is…

…looking forward each day to going home to him.

…the way he touches my hair or kisses my forehead when he walks by me.

…his breath and his fingertips warming my skin when we can’t get close enough to each other.

…the way his eyes light up when he makes me laugh.

…waking up with his hand on my hip because he reached for me in his sleep.

…complete trust, respect, loyalty, and knowing it is all returned.

…feeling safe in his arms.

…knowing he believes in me 100%, even when I doubt myself.

…being certain, beyond any doubt, that he is forever in my corner, and I will always be in his.

…standing together to face down demons and becoming stronger and even more connected with each shared battle.

…laughing until my sides hurt at jokes that only we understand.

…knowing each other so well that we can have entire conversations from across a room, just by looking at each other’s faces.

…having my partner in crime, best friend, and lover all in one person.

…being happiest and most content when I am at his side.

If the Shoe Fits…

Why, yes…I happen to know someone just like that.

Yesterday was a manic day in a hectic week. I left work with another to-do list to tackle of at home, but when I got there, my husband was already home, and when he kissed me hello, he told me, “I missed you today.”

I made my decision right then and there. I pulled out that to-do list…that all-important, must-get-done to-do list…and crumpled it up. Tossed it into the recycling can. Let it all go. I can handle it later. Right now, I wanted and needed only one thing, and it was waiting right in front of me.

I got comfy with my husband, and we spent the evening together, doing whatever we felt like. Nothing fancy, nothing wild and crazy, just leaving the world outside in the cold and enjoying each other. He is my favorite person to be with, and I had a wonderful evening, right there at home.

The older I get, the happier such simple but meaningful moments make me. I am grateful that we have each other. We both have had the misfortunate of experiencing the opposite: relationships with joyless people, no genuine laughter, no true intimacy. We definitely earned what we have now, and I don’t take a single second for granted.

Lost Butterfly

Okay, it’s not the greatest quote or verse in the world, but I still like it. I like the image of a tattered, battered butterfly with bullet holes in its wings, still determined to rise and fly and be what she was meant to be, long after others would have given up.