60+ years of marriage, never miss a morning crossword puzzle kind of love – That’s the kind of love I want.
Each morning, my great-aunt and -uncle tackle the daily crossword puzzle together as they sip their tea (her) and coffee (him). He reads the clues out loud and she works with him to come up with the answers. At over 60 years of marriage, I think of the multitudes of mornings spent, in well-worn house slippers and with bed head as they start their day together.
There is something so absolutely ordinary about this, but it’s something I love and admire so much – the everydayness of their love.
If you’ve walked into any major chain store, you’ll know that Valentine’s decor appeared about 3 minutes after we finished singing Joy to the World. Aisle after aisle offers the standard Valentine’s Day fare – red and pink, hearts galore, stuffed animals and gamble chocolates. But I don’t want a standard greeting card sentiment love one day a year. I want a love that says “I love you today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and I’m going to keep showing up and choosing to love you.”
It’s not the love of greeting cards perhaps or the heart and red infused aisles of the store, but it is the love of legends – the love that shows up day after day after day, from “I do” all the way through “It’s a 6 letter word for pooch, what do you think love?”
It’s the kind of love I’m here for, showing up for, and choosing to build and grow.
And I’d love for you to join me.
All next week, we’ll join together in the 5 Day Valentine’s Day Marriage Challenge. Each day of the challenge, we’ll look at ways we can grow in some of the simplest but most important ways. Simple doesn’t mean easy, but I believe and have seen how these habits and ideas can grow your marriage.
It’s super easy to join. Just click below and you’ll get your first challenge day on Feb 6 (or later if you join us after that)
If you want to grow your ordinary, everyday love, you’re going to love this challenge.
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