Love notes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes some come attached to gifts of flowers, candy, CARS!, trips, tickets, or homemade gift certificates. Some are extravagant and expensive while others are seemingly simple and plain.
I get a love note from Elijah at least every week. It comes in the form of two children. One has been fed, readied and taken to school, while the other has been chauffeured to my hospital and sits waiting for my shift to end with glass her of milk, cup of cereal and a smile.
After our post/pre-work child exchange I head home, exhausted but relieved to have another twelve hours behind me. Upon arrival, I am always greeted with a clean kitchen and the most beautiful sight ever...the red light of the coffee maker indicating a warm cup is only a few seconds away.
These little things, happy, well fed, well rested children, a clean house and a hot cup of coffee are the little love notes Elijah leaves me every week. The thing is, I don't expect these expressions of love. I know how easy it is for the evening to get out of hand. I know after a ten hour day, he's exhausted and is well within his rights to want to go to bed as soon as Asher is down. Which is why I'm always so grateful when I see the house in this condition.
I always call after I've showered and have started breakfast. I want to be sure that he knows how much I appreciate his thoughtfulness, how much I love him, and how lucky I feel that he is willing to put forth this extra effort for me.
He often shrugs off my thanks. Maybe he truly doesn't know how much these little acts of kindness touch me. As a rule, he's never been overly demonstrative. He's okay with PDA but isn't too forthcoming with praise and compliments. After 11 years, I've come to realize that his love is shown through things like this. Daily, weekly, even yearly thoughtful acts. That's how I know he loves me. It's how I know he's thinking of me while I'm away. It's how I know that I'm not dragging him, unwillingly, through our life, we're making this crazy journey together.
