IMPORTANT WORDS

Sometimes "I love you" is spoken with different words. Here are some ways Tim's said it to me in the last few weeks.

"I hear you." 
This wasn't meant in the sense that he could relate to what I was experiencing, but rather that he was acknowledging the words I'd spoken and their significance to me. It was a way of saying that he may not have all the answers, but that I had his support.

"We'll make it happen." 
I'd told Tim about something I really wanted to do, but that I wasn't sure I could pull off logistically. His immediate response was to confirm that it was worthwhile and that he was willing to do whatever he could to facilitate it happening.

"Let's figure out another option!"
When the aforementioned plans unexpectedly fell apart and there was nothing we could do about it, his first response was to come up with a backup plan because he understood how important it was to me.

Silence
Knowing I'd had a rotten day, he came through the door after work one evening and said nothing. He just walked up with his arms open, gave me a hug, and said nothing while I bawled my eyes out.

"Do you want Subway or Papa Murphy's?"
We rarely eat out, but he offered one morning to pick up dinner later that night. It was a thoughtful gesture that made a good day even better.

"You did nothing wrong. You don't need to defend yourself."
This was Tim's way of saying he trusts me and that I, the one who tends to talk way too much, didn't need to use 10,000 words proving my point.

"I can't wait to see!"
Showing interest in and enthusiasm about something I was excited about, he showed that what matters to me, matters to him.

"Let me know how I can be of service."
I was having a pity party one morning and he was willing to help cheer me up. I was feeling better by the time he came home, but it was reassuring to know that he'd have let me curl up in bed with a book and taken care of all the parenting, listened while I talked his ear off about the minutia of my day, or done whatever I needed if I'd still been in a funk when he got home.

"That sounds great!"
He wanted to spend time with me when I suggested having a lunch date, which is where we took the above picture on Saturday.

Relationships of any kind can be hard and our marriage has definitely had rough seasons, but I'm thankful that it's been "two steps forward, one step back", an overall steady forward motion for nearly two decades. And I'm thankful for the different ways I've heard "I love you" lately.

As a sidenote, our date was great. Free food - a gift card from the restaurant chain itself (one I've had for several months, overcompensation for a mistake they'd made), another from a Pampered Chef teammate (someone who knows I prefer food over tiaras and sashes when it comes to celebrating milestones), and a free milkshake we got to split. Laughing over the different amounts of time we each need to figure our what to order. Talking about some practical things and long-term goals. Enjoying a two hour break in an otherwise busy day filled with various projects to work on.