The Reality of Valentine's Day!

I woke up this morning to a sick child. My boys have been battling colds this week and my son woke up feeling miserable. A quick goodbye to my husband and he was off to work, and the reality of school, meals, dishes, and laundry set in for my "Valentine's Day".

"Valentine's Day"...the day of LOVE! The day when we remember how blessed those of us are to have that special someone standing next to us. But, what is the reality of love and marriage? Is it like the movies, where time stops for the rest of your life and you live in this little love bubble? Of course not, and that is where fantasy changes to reality. Love in a marriage changes, it grows, it matures. Just ask any first time parents who haven't slept or seen each other in like a month! You go into this robot mode of doing things just to survive your day and have nothing left at the end of it. Does that mean that the couple has "fallen out" of love?

When my husband and I first met, we spent every moment together. We had every class together and we never got tired of spending each moment glued at the hip. As we got older, things changed! We both got jobs, had two kids, and you have to be pulled apart at times. It would be rare for anyone to be able to spend 24/7 together their whole life. But, as life changes, you have to fight for time with your spouse. Marriage takes work, you can't just rely on the fact that you made those vows. As the saying goes, "It takes two to tango." It takes both of you working together to make a marriage work. If one stops trying, that's when things fall apart. Does that mean that the other person should just give up? No, prayer can move mountains, change lives, and heal relationships.

The reality of love and marriage is not fireworks each day or flowers blooming each morning as a bird rests on your shoulder on the way to work. It's the reality of saying "I love you" before you jet off to work, getting up in the middle of the night to calm your crying child so that the other can finally get some rest, fixing them soup when they are sick, or knowing you've had a bad day and buying you that favorite piece of chocolate! It's the day to day reality that builds a marriage. Knowing that they are waiting for you after that long day at work, and knowing that they won't leave you, but will hold your hand as you walk up the rough hills and mountains of life is what marriage is all about.

I Corinthians 13:4-7
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,always perseveres."