Deep Love

Today is Valentine's Day. All about love. Today I did what everyone hopes to do on this holiday. Spent the day with the love of my life, had an intimate meal for two, held hands and told each other of our love. Soinds great, yes? Our day was spent driving to a doctor's appointment after brain surgery for a tumor. The surgery went well, but the healing part-not so much. Too much after-surgery swelling caused problems, and an extensive acute physical rehabilitation stay. Today's doctor visit felt like skipping school, like a day out with dad instead of mom, like skipping Sunday school to play on the church playground. A bit naughty, a bit fun. Like a blind date with a person you completely hit it off with, while your friend and her boyfriend are bored to tears with each other. And then we went to lunch. Not a fancy restaurant, not even inside a restaurant. Fast food in the car, in a parking lot. If you haven't been in love, you won't understand, but...it might have been the best date we've had in years. Not the romantic, perfect, ethereal version of love you see in literature, but the real, real version of love. The version where you stick together no matter what, through thick and thin, through sickness and health-just like the vows. There's a sweetness that happens after some rough times together that the first blush of young love can't ever match. It's a mellow, familiar, deep, precious, essential-to-your-survival, type of love. The type of love that happens when you've been tested and survived. The type of love that happens when you would spare your SO any pain you could by taking it on yourself, but they won't let you.

I wouldn't trade our deep mellow love for anything in the world. Happy Valentine's Day honey. And Happy Every Day . I love you.