This post is part of the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. You can find links to other writers' answers over at Long and Short Reviews.)
Prompt: ways to show someone you love them
...It's eleven o'clock on the night before this prompt is supposed to go up, and I have absolutely no idea what to do with it.
Okay, no, that's not right, I do know how to answer that. I know, because Beautiful Wife took the dog for a walk earlier -- much earlier -- and when she still wasn't back at a quarter to eleven I called and asked if she wanted me to come pick her up. (She was at her mom's house; it was the only thing that made sense under the circumstance.) So one way, obviously, is to realize that it's very late and your spouse is still out with the dog and then go rescue them so they don't have to walk all the way home.
But also, I spent an hour this weekend going over Secondborn's homework and helping him work it out. So that's another way to show someone you love them: help them with math.
And that brings me around to my absolute favorite, which works for both Beautiful Wife and Firstborn: tea. Especially tea with little notes attached to it. "You are amazing and you can do all the things. Here is tea." "I'm very proud of the way you're taking care of your responsibilities. Have some tea." "This tea was forged in the cauldron of the gods and may only be drunk by the most beautiful and wonderful of women."
But those are just some particular examples. Showing someone you love them is basically just a matter of understanding their needs and desires -- and then being mindful about helping them when they need and want it. Our dishwasher broke, and I did the dishes myself, by hand, so we would have forks, without complaining (much) or asking for help from Beautiful Wife. That shows love. I leave Firstborn in charge of his own bedtime and wakeups, because he's shown that he can handle that and still get his schoolwork and etc. done. That shows love.
Pay attention, and do what you can to show appreciation and support. Everything else is just details.
I really love the tea example. It takes an everyday occurrence and makes it special. It says I see you and I feel you.
ReplyDeleteThe gift of time is always a tough one and when done in the right spirit is definitely a demonstration of love. Good narrative, thanks for sharing. My post is up finally!
ReplyDeleteDoing the dishes is a definite love show! I like the little notes, too. I send my granddaughter no sugar added fruit cups she can have to replace the sugar-filled diced fruit cups at school and often draw a heart or other little pictures on them as a bit of encouragement and way to say I know it's tough, but you've got this. She often keeps the tops and brings them back home.
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