I love that Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love. I don't think it has to be romantic love, I think it's a perfect time to remind your friends, your parents, your children, AND your significant other how much you love them.
I was inspired a few weeks ago by the series that the New York Times does called "Tiny Love Stories". I love reading those! They tell small stories in 100 words or less that show what day to day real life love looks like. I love them because they are so realistic and attainable. Growing up watching Disney movies and reading fairy tales I was given this false expectation of what love looks like. While love can be found in big gestures and fairy tale weddings, it is more often found in the small things done every day to remind the people around you how loved they are.
I meant to write down a bunch of my own tiny love stories, but I only got around to writing three, so I guess I'll just have to make my own series of tiny love stories and share them occasionally. In the mean time, if you have any tiny love stories from your week that you'd like to share, I would love to hear and today is the perfect day to spread the love, don't you think?
January 15, 2020
I was feeling kind of down when Ryan came home late. I asked him if he would get me strawberries with sugar. Even though it was almost 10 pm, I sat on the couch and watched him carefully cut up a plateful of strawberries and carefully sprinkle every inch with sugar the way I like them and then bring the plate over to me. He then told me not to overdo it (because last time I ate too many strawberries while pregnant, I threw up) but he let me eat them all because I wanted to.
January 18, 2020
I stayed up way too late and knew I would have trouble waking up on time. In the morning, I slept SO late that I was sure Rose would be upset with me for getting her out of her crib so late, but when I went into her room, she smiled at me and gave me her pacifier to put away and was excited to show me her stuffed horse that she sleeps with. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how bad of a mom I feel, my baby always thinks I hang the moon.
January 20, 2020
I had the stomach flu and was throwing up and Rose was upset that something was wrong with me, so Ryan got her ready for bed, tucked her in, and then when I stopped throwing up he got our bed ready for me and tucked me in. He hugged me for a bit to warm me up and then told me to go to sleep even though it was only 8 pm and normally this would be our only time to spend together without Rose around.
Here are a few other instances of little daily bits of love from the last few months that are not in tiny love story form:
- Another throwing up story: When I still had morning sickness, I was throwing up in the bathroom and Rose came in and was concerned. Then she left the bathroom and came back and tried to hand me the tv remote, which is one of her favorite things to play with. She could tell that something was wrong and she wanted to help and cheer me up by giving me one of her favorite toys.
- Working nights was really difficult for me after I got pregnant, and I hated leaving the nights that I had work, so over Christmas break, Ryan applied for my job and I quit and now he is working 2 jobs (68 hours a week) and seriously lacking in the sleep department so that I can stay home with Rose and prepare for this other baby to come. He just works SO hard for Rose and I and rarely complains about work or how tired he is and he never makes me feel bad for getting to stay home. He amazes me and I feel SO loved because he is willing to do something so hard for us.
- I have an overactive imagination and frequently have nightmares, and they only get worse when I'm pregnant. Since the day we got married, Ryan has always insisted that I wake him up if I have a nightmare, and he isn't always home when I have one, but when he is, he still wakes up to comfort me if I do. (Even though he doesn't get nearly enough sleep!)
So, I guess what I'm trying to get across is that love manifests itself in the little things. The daily kiss when Ryan goes to work, or the fact that he STILL opens the car door for me after being married for 3 years. The sweater that he bought for himself so he could stay warm at work that he ended up giving to me because I loved how comfortable it is. When he offers to zip up my shoes because my stomach is getting to big for me to do it myself. And every time he tells me how beautiful I am when I'm feeling less than beautiful because of my changing body.
The stories that I'm sharing are mainly just about Ryan and Rose since I interact with them the most, but tiny love stories can be for anything that helps you to feel loved and important. They can include the times your parents answer the phone when you're having a bad day and will talk to you even when it's inconvenient. Or when your dad offers to call your doctors billing office to figure out the health insurance stuff so you don't have to. Or when your aunt buys a plane ticket for your cousin to fly to Florida with you so that you don't have to do a 4 hour red eye flight 7 months pregnant with a lap toddler all by yourself (true story. And I am SO grateful. That's happening next week.) Or it can include when you forget to grab the car seat from the car before your husband goes to work and your brother offers to drive to Sam's club to grab it from your car and bring it back to you so you can leave the house (happened this week), or when a friend brings you a note on Mother's day to thank you for being her friend and inspiring her as a mother. etc etc etc.
All I'm saying is that if you look for it, I'm sure you can find the tiny love stories in your life that will remind you that you are loved and important and remembered, because you are. You might not have someone buying you expensive jewelry or writing songs for you or sweeping you off your feet with grand gestures. But, I believe that if you pay attention, you'll see that people love you in a lot of different ways.
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| What better way to show love than by squishy face kisses? |
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