After reading Mary Ellen’s post on romance and after receiving an encouraging email from Margaret, I have decided to chime in on the topic of romance. It has taken me many years to shed my teenage ideas about romance developed largely by movies I can’t believe my parents ever let me watch. We actually experienced a few years of marital difficulties in those first few years of marriage due in large part to my inability to let go of those unrealistic romantic notions. If my life is a movie then it certainly isn’t a romantic comedy but praise God it’s not a tragedy either. 
Mary Ellen mentioned in her post about when she knew that she had married the right man. My “aha” moment came shortly after the death of our daughter Mary in 2003. She was delivered stillborn at 36 1/2 weeks gestation. As you can imagine, this was a very difficult time for my husband and I (not to mention our three children). In the weeks and months that followed I spent many days in tears for the baby that I would never know here on earth. On one particularly difficult morning as I was crying in the shower, my husband entered our bathroom. As I got out of the shower, I commented to my husband that I wished I was coping better. He turned to me and said, “You got out of bed this morning and you took a shower. Everything else is just icing on the cake.” I knew at that moment that I had married the man of my dreams – romantic and otherwise. This was a man who understood that I was giving my best effort and loved me unconditionally. Now that’s romantic!!!
This is the same man who waited to hold our sweet baby Peter (born 15 months later) so that I could be the first to hold him after the c-section. Now that’s romantic!!!
This is the same man who devotedly goes to a stressful job day after day to support his family and to enable his wife to home teach their children. Now that’s romantic!!!
This is the same man who took his wife on a romantic NYC getaway for her 40th birthday. Now that’s romantic!!!
And finally, this is the same man who loves his wife enough to find special moments together even if it’s only a trip to the supermarket together, a movie, or holding hands at Home Depot. Now that’s romantic!!!
True romance comes through a life of service and devotion to one’s spouse. Now that’s romantic!!!
It is so easy for us to forget the little things…I, too, had the same misconceptions about romance.
Heather,
This is beauty. God bless you and your dear husband!
It brings tears to my eyes to read about such love and devotion. The world would be a better place if everyone would appreciate the little things in life as much as the big things.
Many Blessings!
Heather,
What a beautiful post and what love!
What a beautiful tribute to the love of your husband.
“This is the same man who waited to hold our sweet baby Peter (born 15 months later) so that I could be the first to hold him after the c-section. Now that’s romantic!!!”
Very moving!
This is beautiful, Heather!
“True romance comes through a life of service and devotion to one’s spouse.”
You are absolutely right.
Now, why can’t all those teenage movies get it right?
I think you are living the Biblical definition of love. What a wonderful example you are setting for your children and those around you! Thank you for sharing your story!
I believe the same : ” True romance comes through a life of service and devotion to one’s spouse ” .
Great post , true expression of a wonderful soul .
I saw this in the sidebar and am glad I clicked on it. It is soooo beautiful; I got tears reading it! God bless you and your marriage.