Love Is . . .

I sometimes get dismayed when I shop for Valentine's Day cards. Some of them sound so self-serving, i.e. they're all about what "he" does for me. I love you because . . . you make me smile . . . you make me feel secure . . . you make me laugh. That sounds like a very conditional love to me. I know, the point of Valentine's Day is to take time to cherish what you have and those sentiments have their place. But I think love is better expressed in our actions.

When I was a teen, our newspaper ran a little comic every Sunday called "Love is." It was just a cute little couple, with big eyes, and a one sentence completing the thought "Love is . . .: I faithfully cut these out and stuck them in a scrapbook which I've kept all these years. My mom thought it appalling that they were naked and she usually made me color clothes on them!

Anyway . . . here are some "Love Is" thoughts for Valentine's Day . . . and everyday!

Love is . . . flipping everytime you think about him.
Love is . . . making sure he's warm for the winter.
Love is . . . sharing the joy of traditional holidays.
Love is . . . sharing the same piggy bank.
Love is . . . trying out her exotic recipe!
Love is . . . keeping the home fires burning.
Love is . . . seeing the happiness in your reflection.

And a few of my own (these are ways BOTH of us express our love):

Love is . . . not batting an eye when your partner makes the entry in the checkbook but forgets to actually transfer the money!
Love is . . . cleaning out the freezer together when someone left a can of pop in there!
Love is . . . realizing that his junk is as important to him as mine is to me.
Love is . . . taking the dog out on an icy cold morning when it's not your turn.
Love is . . . staying up to take the dog out one more time so the other person can go to bed early.
Love is . . . a surprise phone call in the middle of the day just to say "I love you."

Ah, love . . . truly it is a many-splendored thing!