True love

Have you ever fallen in love? I mean REALLY fallen? I'm not talking about the butterfly-in-your-stomach, giddy feelings, thought-consuming, takes-over-every-aspect-of-your-life love. That's the fun stuff that accents the REAL stuff. I'm talking about the work-at-it-even-when-you-don't-feel-like-it kind of love. It' s interesting, really. Especially as girls, we grow up with a certain misconception of love. When we think of love, we imagine armor-clad knights, white steeds, flying pennants and daring heroic acts. In reality, love is much quieter. It doesn't need to announce its presence with trumpet blasts and tournaments, it just quietly takes its place in your life and you can't ever remember a time when it wasn't there.

That's the way it is for me with Chris. I know there was a time in my life when I didn't feel this way about him. I definitely know that. I went through a lot in my life before I ended up in a relationship with him. But for some reason, the other stuff just doesn't matter anymore. Love took up residence in my life and I didn't even really notice it moving in. Crazy.

Just because it moved in quietly doesn't mean that Love doesn't make itself known in my life. It is my decision to let it stay. And because it's my decision, I have to work at making our relationship a comfortable place for Love to live and grow. That means that even when I'm cranky and Chris is driving me crazy because he left his socks on the bathroom floor again or when he pushes those buttons that only he knows how to push and I've had it up to HERE ... I still need to work at it. Once you let Love in, it's not a simple thing of saying, "hey you - I'm done with you - you're too much work so get out." I suppose you could but then was it real Love to begin with? I think that if it really is Love and once you make that commitment then it becomes your job to make sure that it sticks around. Love is work. It's not fun sometimes when there are bills to pay and no money to pay them, when the baby has been up all night or when the laundry is threatening to move out and declare it's own sovereign state. But the fact is, you let Love move in. Now it's your job to make sure it sticks around.

I love you Chris ... but remember to pick up your socks, k? ;-) xo