With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I’d ask readers what is the sweetest thing your husband or other loved one has ever done for you? I was thinking about that the other day. Things I will always remember may seem small to somebody else, but due to the timing or situation at that moment, they stuck in my mind.
Before we were married, Tom would come by my house in the morning when it snowed and shovel without telling me. One time I found the outline of a heart in the snow on my doormat. I’ll always remember…
Once when we were engaged, he left the song “Beautiful in My Eyes” on my answering machine. The words of that song could not be more true of what a marriage should be. (The words about the lines on our faces and one last embrace always choke me up.)
When there are lines upon my face from a lifetime of smiles,
and when the time comes to embrace for one long last while,
we can laugh about how time really flies.
We won’t say goodbye ’cause true love never dies.
You’ll always be beautiful in my eyes.
You will always be beautiful in my eyes.
And the passing years will show
that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes…
But my favorite thing of all was recently when I was coming out of the laundry room with yet another basket of clothes. Tom was practicing his trumpet and saw me. “Here, give me that,” he said. “Sit down.”
He went and got some music off his shelf, picked up his trumpet, and played, “The Shadow of Your Smile” for me. There I was, a tired mom and wife, without any glitz or beauty to offer, just carrying laundry. But with the music, the fatigue dropped away and so did 15 years of living. Wasn’t it just yesterday we got married?
On a related note, the kids and I are planning a surprise Valentines’s Day Party for Tom. We’re doing it on Friday night, so it really isn’t Valentine’s Day, but I wasn’t going to risk missing a date in case a certain man asks me out.
Tom doesn’t do blogs (including mine) or Facebook, so our plans are safe. We went to the dollar store today and got some decorations. Mary and I are making a red velvet heart cake, and Mary is decorating it as only she can. Emmy is going to wear her red heart dress to the party, and she even has a valentine just for her daddy. Mary has cut out a bunch of hearts and on those hearts, we are writing things we love and appreciate about the dad of our family. We are going to surprise him when he walks in so shhhhhh. I know we could wait until Father’s Day, but it will be fun to have an extra day to say thank you to the man who does so much for us all.
Wishing you a sweet Valentine’s Day. Let somebody in your life know that you love them! It is sure to bring a smile.
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February 12, 2010 at 01:38
Elizabeth
Oh, this brought back a nice memory.
Before we were married, we decided to go to a Valentine’s madrigal dinner a local high school singing group was putting on.
We had a round table, full of friends. We had a fine meal, listening to the young people performing their songs.
At one point, a group of four of the singers(all dressed in ye olde garb, of course) came over to our table. They sang a setting, to me, of Marlowe’s poem, Come Live With Me and Be My Love, which my now-husband had set to voice.
He had arranged it all prior, of course, with the conductor of the group. The young folk really enjoyed being in on the surprise. They really had to work on it, as it was rather an intricate piece.
It was truly lovely, I can hear it now, in my mind.
When I am a crabby wife(as I have sort of been today), I should remember that gift. Thanks for bringing it to mind!
February 12, 2010 at 02:51
Jessica Fales
I fell in love with my husband because he is the kindest man I know. Before we even dated I noted his kindness. Our bible study group went on a camping trip to Sequoia. Clint was one of the only men to help the ladies in our group lift our two wheelchair bound women into their chairs in the morning, or on to their sleeping bag at night. We would ask for help and he would always move to help first. He helped everyone. Not just me. He wasn’t even interested in me at the time. (I know because after we got engaged when he noticed me first. It wasn’t till after the camping trip.) I noticed him. I was not struck by his looks, although he is the most handsome man I know. I was not struck by his humor, although he is very funny. I was struck first by his kind and humble heart.
I remember thinking to myself, “If that man ever asks me out, I will say yes.” Thank the Lord a few months later he did. He has never ceased to show kindness and mercy in so many ways. He is a great godly husband and dad. I am blessed to have him.
Jess
February 12, 2010 at 14:27
Sherry Goodwin
What a lovely example you are in just BEING who you are Ingrid. . .DOING the simple everyday things that have been entrusted to you. . .DESIRING God’s heart and mind in all that you do. We are His witnesses, created in Christ Jesus for His Own glory and people are watching all that we say and do. The youngsters in your family also know and sense a right relationship in their home. Someone told me once one of the best things an earthly father could give his children was to LOVE their mother, truly love and honor her. . .it goes the other way around, too, as evidenced by the way you are teaching your family to honor and respect their father. It’s a picture of our relationship to the God we serve, God Almighty, Father, Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit. Blessings to you and your family and I know your husband will be greatly rewarded, as will all of you. (So glad Mary is a part of all of this. God is working and answering our prayers moment by moment.)
February 12, 2010 at 16:35
Daryl-Marie
My husband is a sweet man. Both of the examples I have came from before we were married, but he still does sweet wonderful things.
First: about six months after we started dating I had to get dental surgery done (general anesthesia, WONDERFUL painkillers, the whole bit). He took care of me the two days after the surgery: calling my parents, non-related brother, and bes tfriend to tell them I was out of surgery and okay; running to the pharmacy to get anti-inflamatories for my jaw; making sure I ate when and what I could; putting up with me when I called him names during my withdrawal from those wonderful painkillers; even playing tile rummy with me when I had a little bit of energy and he knew I was going stir crazy just laying on the couch doing nothing. He had to go back to work on the third day post-op, but he even asked his mom to come and look after me that day, and he called me EVERY time he had a spare five minutes to see how I was doing. . .
After all that, and my throwing bloody gauze at him when he told me right after I woke up from surgery that I was still beautiful . . .
He asked me to marry him a month later!
This one is much smaller . . . it cost him five minutes and $1.50.
I was having one of those days. You know the kind, the kind where everything just goes sideways no matter what you do? I was sitting at my desk thinking, “Oh my goodness, I could REALLY use a mocha… just something warm and coffee-and-chocolate to drink.”
Not five minutes after I thought that (I don’t even think I prayed about it, now that I think about it), my fiance (now husband) walked into my office and says, “Well, I was delivering something in the area, passed a Tim Horton’s, and thought, ‘you know, D could probably really use an extra-large mocha.”
It makes me smile just thinking about it. I should remember these on days where I get frustrated.
Bless you, Ingrid!
D
February 13, 2010 at 02:21
Jeni
My best Valentine memory happened two years ago. Many years ago my wedding band and engagement ring had been stolen, we believe by a family member. My beloved took the time to go and choose a setting as close to the one I originally had, chose the diamonds, and chose the emerald(one of the diamonds and the emerald represent each of our birth months), and then took me out for Valentine’s Day and presented it to me in a crowded restaurant. It was such a surprise I started sobbing.
I still laugh when I recall the look on his face. He was so alarmed and he didn’t know if I was happy or upset~LOL! He was so afraid he had done the wrong thing!!! Silly man
February 13, 2010 at 04:04
lisaak
All these stories are wondeful!
The story that popped into my mind is offbeat to say the least. I went thru the worst year of my life last year with gallbladder surgery, two ERCPs and hernia surgery.
I was desperate to find a cure for ongoing pain and had read about beets helping with bile flow. I told my husband I was going to try eating a lot of beets to see if it would help me and he said “I’ll eat beets with you”
Now, this doesn’t sound like much, but I almost cried. During all the months I was in chronic pain, he never once complained or got angry or frustrated at all. What if the situation was reversed? Would I have been that patient and loving?
Of course I love the flowers and candy and all the normal Valentines day stuff that he’s gotten for me over the years. But somehow “I’ll eat beets with you” tops them all!
February 15, 2010 at 01:10
Valerie C
Great post, Ingrid. Thanks for sharing your Valentine’s Day pics with us.
My husband is so wonderful and I am so thankful to God for blessing me with him. The Lord chose my husband to lead me to Him. I will never forget the day that I told my husband (then fiance) that if he is a Christian that “I want to be a Christian too.” That will always be a memory very dear to my heart.
I am so thankful to have a such a loving, patient husband! Like a lot of the other ladies have said, it’s the little things that our hubbies do that make our day wonderful, and help us to realize how truly we love them. My husband has a nutritious breakfast and an array of vitamins (one of my nicknames for him is the “Vitamin King.”
) waiting for me every morning. Just knowing that he takes the time to make sure I start my day off right means so much to me!
True love is the greatest! Thanks for the nice post, Ingrid