Early and Always

Today I am grateful for my husband Darcy, on this day before Valentine’s Day and on every day. We have been married for a quarter of a century and true empty nesters for a few weeks. Plenty has transpired in these 25 years, and we look forward to what the next decades will bring. We walk together, literally and figuratively.

I revisited some of the Valentine’s Day posts on my first blog Habitual Gratitude, and I landed on this one from February 14, 2017. Here is a portion of it:

I used to avoid writing about Valentine's Day. It was too tough, too "poor me." Too much a reminder of what I didn't have and seemingly everyone else did.

Now I joke about how every day is Valentine's Day when you are married to a real Valentine. Love isn't a joke though. It is genuine and deep, and at times hard work. My husband Darcy, Mr. Valentine, has put in hard work to make our marriage strong and our relationship healthy.

I want to acknowledge his love and his dedication to us. I am not an easy person to live with at times.

It is true that those closest to us see our best and our worst. Thank you Darcy for seeing past my worst, for forgiving, for staying committed.

I don't want you to think I am a holy terror, but truth be told, when I am spun up, I am not fun to be around. It usually has everything to do with me and where I am at in my head and heart, but it comes out in unwelcome and unkind ways at times.

Darcy will read this and say he's not perfect either. But I give him credit for being the more consistently reasonable one in this partnership. We have grown so much together, as individuals and as spouses. For that I am deeply grateful. And looking forward to where today and tomorrow will take us.

I read this now, seven years later, and can report that I get spun up less and have learned to be quiet more. (A work in progress, but progress is happening.) The children are adults, our grandchildren growing quickly. Aging shows itself in ways we wish it didn’t, but also in wisdom and grace that finds us grateful on a regular basis.

Happy Valentine’s Day early and always Darcy. I love you. Onward!