Valentine's Day

Have you ever heard married couples talk about how they grow to love each other more everyday? Or that they are more in love now than the day they were married almost 200 years ago? When I was younger, I used to think they must not have had a very good wedding day!

One week ago, I wrote our love story. K-Love radio had a contest. They chose five love stories that listeners sent and Mark Schultz will take one of those stories and write "The next great love song". From the moment I wrote the story, I've felt an extra thump in my chest, a little extra charge of excitement, a little more passion. I didn't tell Debbie that I had written the story. We planned to go out to dinner Friday night and there I would read it to her and tell her that I had sent it to K-Love. I didn't really consider the possibility it would be chosen or even be a finalist. But, 2pm Friday at the office, my office manager Lori confronted me as I came out of a room. "I want to read the letter!" A patient had just called to tell her that my letter had been read on K-Love! My wife didn't hear it on the air, so she still didn't know.

I waited until that evening. We were all ready to go out for our date. Grandma and Grandpa were already at the house to watch the kids and we had the radio going. I told my son Drew to keep the radio on so that Debbie could hear in case I was selected. I whispered in her ear as we stood in the living room listening to them read off the five finalists, that I had sent our love story. They had already named 4 of the 5 and I started to resign myself...until they read my name. Our living room erupted! The kids, Deb, the grandparents and I all had a good jumping up and down party.

Deb still hadn't heard the story. I read it to her in the truck before we left for dinner. She liked it. She loved it. Turns out that wives really enjoy this romantic stuff. We've been electric ever since. Every look we share has a special gleam, every touch a spark, every embrace a little longer, every kiss more passion. This has been a fun week leading up to Valentine's Day. But, we have the extra anticipation of waiting for tomorrow morning to find out if our story will be the next great love song on K-Love! It has truly been the best Valentine's Day ever for us, and it's still just Feburary 13th.

Okay, back to where I started. For the past five years, our love has grown and deepened. It was all triggered by a marriage class we took at church. It helped us drive out our secrets and discuss openly our needs. We began to truly seek to meet each others needs or as we like to say, "complete each other". I see Debbie now as a continuation of myself, my own body, my own mind. I am the same to her. If she does something I don't like, how do I get mad at myself? I see her little short-comings as an opportunity to complete her. So I don't yell when she leaves her bathrobe on the floor, I pick it up. When I'm late from work, she doesn't complain, she fills in for me. We are a team. We work together. We love together. We have one goal: to love each other as God has loved us.

In marriage we are privileged to see a glimpse of God's love for us. God is the lover of my wife's soul. I just try to mimic that love as best as I can. When I see the love and sacrifice Debbie gives me, I understand that God loves me even more. The love affair of our marriage is upstaged by the lover of my soul. As we see and feel God's love, we pour out more love to each other. Our love grows and flourishes, watered by God's spirit.

So, yes, I am one of those old folk who say, "I love her more today than the day we were married."