I used to work as a Customer Support Rep for a high-end manufacturer of commercial appliances for the home. I worked with a Regional Service Manager who drove me insane by answering my long, drawn out Customer Support email with very cut and dry responses. "I need to get so and so a new <insert appliance here> because theirs is not working and service is unable to repair it and they have 6 kids and 3 dogs and need a working unit." His reply? "No, we will repair it.". "I need to give a service company extra money to hop on a ferry to go and repair this customer's <insert appliance here> on top of their regular repair fee." His response? You guessed it..."No." I look back on those emails and similar phone calls now and laugh because those things are just a few of the things that made me fall madly in love with that man that I now happily call my husband.
Love isn't meant to be perfect. But the perfect love for us is us waking up and James looking at me with my make-up smeared (because I fell into bed the night before from taking care of munchkins all day instead of washing it off) and my hair being disheveled and him still telling me I'm beautiful. Or sending me a random text throughout the day to see how my day is or to say he loves me. Or bringing home my favorite candy. Small things that remind me of how much he loves me. Reaching out to take each other's hand while driving the family to the store, fixing each other's favorite meal, watching a movie that makes us cringe - just because we know it's the other's favorite, helping to pick up around the house - these are a few of the things that we do to constantly remind each other that we mean it when we say "I love you".
Words are empty without actions to follow them up. You can say "I appreciate what you do" all day long, but if you don't show that appreciation by giving your spouse or significant other a chill out time where they get to catch up on their DVR recordings while you wash the dishes in the sink or take the kids for an ice cream cone while she has some "me" time, the words don't mean anything. You can say "I love you" till the cows come home, but if you don't do special things - no matter how large or small - the words can become a habit instead of actually having meaning.
I know what you're thinking...things take money and sometimes money is tighter than a pair of pants after visiting an ice cream sundae all-you-can eat bar. Lean forward and read closely. Closer, closer, there ya go. Now read on...You don't have to spend money to do something sweet for each other. I'm serious! You don't! My husband and I leave notes for each other all around the house. Doesn't cost a penny, but boy does it brighten my day when I find a note from him. He knows I can not stand touching bread once it's soggy, so if a piece of bread falls from the plate into the sink, he is my hero by coming to scoop the sogginess out of the sink to throw it away. I know he likes chocolate chip cookies so I make him a batch from time to time. We watch TV together after we put the kids to bed, we laugh, we talk - we enjoy time together. Doesn't cost a penny.
I've read so many articles that remind us to nurture your relationship because, one day when the kids are grown and you have an empty nest, you don't want to be sitting across from a stranger - having not given any of your time to the one who made your family possible to begin with.
Believe me, we are not a perfect couple. I have my many imperfections and James has his, but we're perfect for each other. Did ya get that? We aren't perfect, but we're perfect for each other. Our imperfections, our displays of love, our willingness to never give up on each other or our family, our willingness to pick the other one up when the stress or daily to-do's seem to knock us down, make us the couple that we are. One that may have good days and bad but that love each other even more fiercely than the day before and that will never question or wonder if the other still does because we make sure that not a day goes by without the other one knowing 120% how we feel.
No matter how busy we get with the kids, with work, with life, at the end of the day, when I lay my head on his shoulder to go to sleep, I'm safe in his arms and safe in knowing that I'm truly married to my lifetime love.
That is refreshing to me like a tall glass of peach sweet tea. You put all the ingredients of peach sweet tea into a big pitcher and then pour it into a glass of ice. Same thing with a marriage and each day. A good pitcher of peach sweet tea takes water, tea bags, peaches and sugar. A good marriage takes the same...Love (water) to mix the other components and have a foundation, loyalty (tea bags) to give it strength, displays of love (peaches) to give it that extra kick, and acceptance (sugar) that lets your spouse know that -good days or bad- you're just as in love with them if not more so whether the days or sunny or gloomy. You can't love someone just when things are going right or smoothly; when everything is seemingly perfect. You have to love each other even on the days that seem like the whole world is against you.
I think I've mentioned this in another post previously, but when James and I started dating, we both said we wanted someone that we felt like we could conquer the world with and we truly have that in each other. One day, a while back, I asked him, "Do you have any idea how wonderful it is to wake up every day, realizing I'm married to my best friend?" His answer still warms my heart. He said, "Yes, because I do it every day." Be each other's biggest fan, each other's strength, each other's best friend. Be the one they can't wait to come home to every day. Make time for each other no matter what else is going on. If you've not been making time for each other, set aside a day or night to have an at-home date night. We usually have ours on Saturday nights. We feed the kids early and then have our separate meal. Make the time. Enjoy each other. Don't be perfect, just be perfect for each other. You'll find it to be refreshing...just like peach sweet tea.
Happy Loving....
Karen
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Sweet Peach Tea
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Submitted By: Michaela.K9
Photo By: sueb
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"This is a very light tea with fresh peaches, great for a summer day."
Ingredients:
3 cups water
3 family size tea bags
2 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted, and
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sliced
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons stevia powder
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Directions:
| 1. | Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the tea bags, and steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags. |
| 2. | Meanwhile, place peaches with 1 cup water into the jar of a blender, and blend until very smooth. Pour the peach mixture, tea, and stevia powder into a 1 gallon pitcher. Fill the pitcher to the top with water, and stir until blended. |
| ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2015 Allrecipes.com | Printed from Allrecipes.com 3/19/2015 |
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