How do you express your love for someone special?
Forget about Valentine's Day has always been my motto, as we need not set aside only one day of the year to show our sweethearts just how much we love them!
Every day should be a celebration of love.
I was blessed to have my sweetheart beside me for nearly fifty years. Yes, a lifetime, and we understood each other's languages of love right from the outset. We both were on the same page when it came to showing how much we love each other day-to-day.
Expensive gifts and grand gestures played no part in it.
Small gestures like tip-toeing out of the bedroom when he was still in dreamland, to make that special cup of coffee. Seeing him smile when he wakes up and smells the coffee, was a simple way of showing my love for my man. Note, I'm not a morning person, so it was a big deal for me to get up before him, but it was done with love.
Those who knew him, would not be surprised to hear that I was also spoilt with coffee and a rusk in bed, in fact, more often than he was!
I miss that morning ritual, but still sit in bed with my cup of coffee, remembering the special times.
Surprisingly for some, much of my language of love revolves around food!
Making an extra loaf of bread to give to a friend while it still is hot, sharing freshly baked cookies or muffins, and doubling up on a recipe to give a cake or a tart to a special friend, is just one of those ways. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling seeing the surprise and delight on their faces.
Visiting a sick friend with a homecooked meal, taking a couple of magazines, flowers, or a plant, is another of my languages of love.
This mini succulent rock garden was made by the mother of one of our young guests as a way of thanking me for taking care of her son while staying in our Airbnb for a lengthy period while undergoing training.
That was a random act of kindness that warmed my heart.
I still want to replicate something similar for a very special friend who loves succulents.
For many moons one of my favourite ways of expressing my love has been by giving my loved ones a memorable experience.
It may be a restaurant voucher, tickets to a show, or a holiday (we have paid-up timeshare points so it's not a big deal).
At other times we would invite our special people with us on a jaunt!
My sweet man often used to discreetly get up and settle the bill. I've taken over that role, so occasionally do the same now that he no longer is here.
I've been blessed time and time again with a flood of bookings in our Airbnb, so am able to share the fruits of that blessing with loved ones.
My love language often entails lending an ear, being a shoulder to lean on, encouraging and giving advice, but respecting their decision even if I don't always agree.
Laughter is the best medicine, and that's another gift I love passing onto my loved ones.
Above all, giving of oneself, is the greatest gift of them all!
This has been my response to @meraki7578's questions for this week's Ladies of Hive Community Contest #172, and it went like this:
February 14, Valentine's Day. It can be a day of grand declarations,
blossoming new love, or simply another day on the calendar.
1️⃣ Do you have heartwarming memories, hilarious mishaps, or do you prefer to let it pass without fanfare? Share your thoughts — what makes this day special for you, or why would you rather fast-forward through it?
~ 𝐀𝐍𝐃 / 𝐎𝐑 ~
2️⃣ Forget Valentine's Day — how do you truly show someone you care? Is it a grand gesture, a thoughtful gift, heartfelt words, or something different entirely?
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