Putting Our Hearts Into It
Posted on: February 11, 2016
- In: Everyday Life | Faith | Marriage
- 2 Comments
I heard someone say today that she didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day because she could give her husband a card or chocolates or make him a special dinner any night of the week.
We could do those things anytime—but do we?
Isn’t it more likely that we’re too stressed out and tired from work or classes, child-rearing and chores to make the effort—let alone feel like making the effort—to let our spouse know that we love him or her so much more than we did on the day we got married? That we appreciate the ways our husband or wife cares for us? That we still find him or her attractive? Isn’t it more likely that we expect our spouse to make the effort to show and tell us how wonderful we are?
If both sides are waiting and neither makes a move, we have a time-tested recipe for the blues on Valentine’s Day. So why not take a little time to show that we still love and cherish our spouse, as we promised on our wedding day?
While ads would have us believe that the way to prove our love is to buy our loved one an expensive gift, the reality is that there are better ways to show our love on Valentine’s Day and throughout the year.
Every day for the ten days up to and including Valentine’s Day, I’ve been writing my husband a note that says two things I love about him, and every day I leave it in a different place. He can’t help but feel special when I take the time not only to say that I love him but also to share some things I love about him.
Here are a few other great ways to show we care:
- Start and end each day with a kiss and an “I love you.”
- If our spouse gives us gifts, show they’re appreciated by using them: wear the necklace, listen to the CD, or use the gift card.
- Wear our wedding ring, and get it resized if it’s too small or too big.
- Hold hands—in public!
- Have pictures taken together (since one spouse is usually behind the camera) and frame some.
- Plan regular dates, whether they’re for a favourite activity or something new.
- Say positive things about our spouse to other people.
- Make a card or a special dinner for Valentine’s Day. Why should our anniversary be the only day we celebrate our love?
If we truly appreciate the gift God has given us, we should make sure that our spouse feels loved on Valentine’s Day and all year long.
The school of Christ is the school of love. In the last day, when the general examination takes place…love will be the whole syllabus.
~ St. Robert Bellarmine, quoted in “Celebrate September 2015,” Catholic Digest, September 2015
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2 Responses to "Putting Our Hearts Into It"
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A Catholic Convert in Ottawa 
February 17, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Agree. My husband always says to not get him anything because he can buy for himself whatever he wants. However, for holidays, I always get him something. Whether it is a card, a handwritten note/letter, or a few flowers in a small vase. I can tell that he appreciates them even though he is a quiet person and doesn’t say too much.
We went out to dinner for Valentines Day to a local place where we like to eat sushi every few months. I wore the earrings he gave me on Christmas when we went to dinner. It was the first time I wore them because I wait for special occasions to wear the jewelry he gives/buys me sometimes.
I like special days that are there to show our love to our spouse. It helps us to remember each other.
February 17, 2016 at 1:54 pm
Taking my own advice, I’ve been wearing the jewellery my husband has given me more often lately. And, even though I don’t like having my picture taken, I took a picture of us at the hockey game we went to on the weekend 🙂