The Extra Mile {Matrimonial Monday}

Think back to the dating scene.  Specifically when you were dating your spouse. 

There is something about being in love, new love, that causes us to act a little crazy.   We do things for each other that perhaps we wouldn’t for anyone else.  We aim to please. 

What about when our guys used to hold the door open for us?  What about when they’d call us just to talk? 

Back in college before we got married, we’d talk on the phone for 3 hours most nights.  We made the hour trip almost every weekend to spend a day together.  We used to text each other every afternoon at the time that matched our anniversary date.  We jumped through hoops to spend more time together. 

Is there something you used to do for your spouse that you haven’t done in a while?  Is there something he hasn’t done for you? 

I think back about all of those things and sometimes I get sad.  I miss all of those things.  I miss the random I love you texts, the 3 hour conversations, and all the fun date nights. 

There is no need to be sad about the past though.  Sure all of those things would be nice but there are new ways that we show our love.  We’re older now, been together a total of almost 16  years in a relationship and friends for 7 years before that.  We’ve now known each other for over half of our lives. 

Things change.  We aren’t in a position where we have 3 hours to talk on the phone.  We don’t have to drive an hour to see each other. 

Instead we do things like this. 

My favorite morning beverage.  I don’t drink hot coffee and I rarely drink milk.  I somehow fell in love with the caramel Frappe from McDonald’s.  It is divine but at over 600 calories, it’s not very healthy.  So I started looking around for an alternative.  With a tiny bit of milk, ice and some water this delicious caramel drink is my new favorite. 

You may ask what this has to do with relationships so I’ll explain.

I came to love this beverage over a year ago.  There are 6 packets inside which makes 12 cups of coffee.  I have one, maybe two per day.  Our local Starbucks quit carrying them.  Our local grocer did as well.  It turns out it’s somewhat of a seasonal offering from Starbucks here in the summer.  Of course this means they are difficult to find in the winter. 

My amazing husband treks all over town scooping these up for me when I start to run low.  One day he went to 4 different retailers that do carry them year round. These 14 packs of coffee will last me about 168 days.

It’s one of the sweetest things he does to make sure I’m happy.  It’s not a long drawn-out conversation (although I still love those).  It’s not an hour drive to come visit me. 

It is, however, an act of love. 

It’s the extra mile I thought I thought I missed.  I didn’t miss it.  I just didn’t notice that it had changed.  It’s now a little bit different but just as special.

I’ve stopped worrying about how things used to be and started noticing the new ways he shows he loves me. 

I think it’s easy for us to remember the super romantic acts but what about the every day acts of love we seem to miss? 

Is there something special your spouse does for you that maybe you’ve overlooked?  I’d love to hear about it!

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