My sweet Valentine,
I am thankful that our love doesn’t demand a day of grand gestures in the way of boxes of chocolate, giant stuffed teddy bears, and clearance jewelry. I am especially grateful that, instead, we are more of a “day-after, 75-percent-markdown clearance candy” kind of couple.
The greatest gift that you give to me is your authentic love — we aren’t playing a game of show and tell with the world. We are simply existing, seeking adventure, and wandering through life’s many unexplored corridors, hidden worlds, and scavenger hunts together. Life with you is rich and full, and I love that we don’t need a Valentine’s Day to remind us to be grateful for one another.
Your kindness knows no bounds; your compassion for others and the way you invest in an intentional love is worth more than money could buy. How it is that you chose to love me — and continue to choose to do so daily — I cannot comprehend. I am not just lucky; I am blessed beyond measure and far more than I deserve.
Thank you, Valentine
Thank you for loving me with such care, for being sweet, kind, and funny in exactly the right moments. Thank you, too, for the pity laughs when my own jokes fall flat.
You love me so well, and you are always in pursuit of learning to love me even better. My sweet Valentine, you are one of a kind. In all this world, there is no one better for me. You are, as I often say, one of the good ones. If you ask me, though, you are the “goodest” of the good ones.
Thank you, love, for being my biggest fan, greatest supporter, and the strongest advocate for me. For some couples, fighting is often against one another. I am immensely grateful to fight battles with you instead of against you. Life’s trials are somehow easier to bear with you on my side.
Thank you for investing in our love, for working daily to foster growth in our home: for washing dishes, doing laundry, taking the dogs out, cooking dinner, and letting me sleep in while you get ready for work. Thank you for letting me be freakishly obsessed with Harry Potter, true crime and missing persons forums, and iced coffee. Thank you for reminding me of Jesus when I have wandered away from Him. The list could go on forever. Thank you for being my equal partner day in and day out.
I give thanks for the days of spontaneity and fun, planned or unplanned, that energize us together. I thank you, too, for the days of rest and recharging. There is nothing quite like reading a book beside you or napping together on the couch. (Wow, I feel old.) I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
My fellow adventurer
My love, thank you for entrusting me with all of you. Thank you for entrusting me with adventure and for saying “yes” to my wild ideas, even when they terrify you. I love leading us into the unknown, watching how things unfold, and holding your hand every brand new step of the way. There is no one I would rather adventure with than you; there is no one braver than you. To step out of your comfort zone just because I ask — you are so deeply filled with faith. Thank you for being a safe place to land each and every day, no matter the circumstances.
And, finally, sweet Valentine, at the end of every adventure I find for us, thank you for bringing us home. You are my favorite!
xoxo,
me
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