Another day...

I've been asked by some kids and lots of adults how Eric and I 'celebrate' February 14th.

Short answer... we don't.
Long answer... we do... every day.

Both of us make an effort to do something nice/considerate/loving for the other not once in awhile, not once in a day, but multiple times every day.

We call each other on the phone to talk about something we heard on the news, something interesting we saw on our commute, an idea about doing something on the weekend.

Every day begins with hugs. Every day ends with hugs.

Eric usually gets home from work sooner than I do, at least during the winter months when it gets dark early.

He calls me at work to find out if there's anything he can do to start my dinner. We don't generally eat the same meals during the week... he likes a bigger meal and is able to tolerate things with spices and tomato sauce and other reflux triggers much better than I can.

I try to eat my largest meal in the afternoon before work and usually end up eating something smaller in the evenings.

But he'll brown some hamburger for me, or boil some noodles or whatever. But he calls me every day to find out if I need/want him to do that.

During the winter, when I come home from work, the heater under the kitchen table is on. He knows I'll be sitting here and wants it to be comfortable.
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He spends the summer finding and hauling wood home from jobs. He makes sure it's all cut and split and stacked and ready to keep us warm all winter. If he lived alone, he wouldn't bother. He'd sit in a couple layers of clothes and maybe use a blanket.

He goes to work every day. He may feel crappy, and about 90% of the time he hates his job, but he goes every day. He is taking care of his family with that paycheck. And that's a thing that's more important to him than anything else.

He is always putting his family first. Always.

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We don't exchange gifts. We did for a time back in the early days of our marriage, but without really discussing it we agreed to stop. We don't even do cards unless it's hand made. We leave notes for each other, most of which have content unsuitable for people outside the relationship. :)

I know how fortunate I am to have the man and the marriage I have. That's the other thing... we appreciate each other.

So no candy, no cards, no flowers, no jewelry. No reason for Eric to have to prove his love for me by some display on a specific day. I know it every day.