Last night we went out to celebrate our 17 year anniversary! We laughed about how we had no idea what life was about that day, just two young people in love, hoping for the best.
I am forever grateful to Stephen for loving me & our kids so well. He loves quietly, listens intently, cares deeply, has the patience of a saint & his laugh is contagious.
One of the many things I love about Stephen is how he loves quietly. We were dating for about 10 months before he enlisted in the Navy for 6 years. During those 6 years he went out for two 6 month deployments. Our dating anniversary was on the 15th of the month & when he went out to sea, he prescheduled flowers to be delivered every 15th of the month to me.
I share this because the way he loves me reminds me to love him & others, in those small, unexpected ways, to let the person know you care. For me it was never about the flowers, it was about the heart behind them. To this day he will randomly bring me flowers when I am having a hard day or to celebrate something.
I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we remember what it says in 1 Corinthians about love. Love is patient, kind, slow to anger, humble, honoring, selfless, forgiving, truthful, protects, hopes & perseveres. These words so often spoken at weddings, including ours, I’ve learned through experience are best to be lived out during the marriage rather than leaving them behind as words spoken on your wedding day. This truth about love isn’t just for marriages, but it’s for any relationship we are in. No relationship is perfect, including ours, yet this is the perfect truth to lean into & practice to strengthen our relationships.
So today, & every day, may we pray to live out love towards our spouse & loved ones. May we also choose to do a quiet, unexpected act of love that will remind them how much we care about them and celebrate the people we love in our life.
With love & hope,
Shawn