The greatest gift I ever got - Southeastern Wyoming Family and Couples Photography Session

Outdoor Guy is not prone to grandiose, romantic gestures.  He’s never stood outside my bedroom window holding a boom box high in the air.  He’s never surprised me on Valentine’s Day with a piece of ridiculously expensive jewelry or prepared a candlelight picnic.  He’ll never plan a romantic getaway for some remote beach location.  And he’ll never insist we book a couples or family photography session.

You know what he does do? He…

• Helps me load and unload the car.
• Carries the groceries.
• Changes the oil in my car.
• Takes care of our daughter so I can sleep in a few extra hours on the weekends.
• Carries the heavy stuff.
• Cleans up dog puke and kid vomit because I have the worst gag reflex in the world.
• Reaches for my hand in the car, dances with me in the kitchen and calls me in the morning to make sure I’m up when I’m traveling.
• Fixes the doorbell at my mom’s house, laughs at my sister’s jokes and plays Fantasy Football with my crazy family.
• Texts me the grocery list when I forgot it at home for the 700th time.
• Buys me ridiculous gifts like seat bumpers because I’m always losing my cell phone between the seat and the console of my car.

My husband shows up and shows he loves me in a hundred little ways each and every day.

I think romantic comedies and television shows and songs have set us up for disappointment when it comes to demonstrations of love and commitment.

Love isn’t some grand, sweeping act in front of hundreds of people.  That’s Hollywood’s version of love.  And it’s easy.  Anyone can act the romantic fool for a few minutes.  But it takes a special kind of soul to slog through the muck with you day in, day out.

Love isn’t flowers.  Or chocolates.  Or stuffed teddy bears.

It’s making the coffee.  Sitting through a family photography session because you know she wants new pictures of all of you.  Listening to him vent about budgets and politics at work.  Watching The Avengers for the 12th time even when you’d rather watch Big Bang Theory reruns.  Tracking her plane when she’s out of town just so you know she made it to her destination safely.

The best gift I’ve ever gotten is simply his love.

It’s showing up in someone’s life each and every day in a thousand thankless, hard ways.

Gifts are important.  For some people, they are how they express love and want love expressed to them.  If you’re a fan of the 5 Love Languages you know that we all express love and want to be loved in different ways.  But gifts given because of a day marked on the calendar aren’t about commitment and shared joy.  They are about checking a box so you won’t be upset.  It’s not the same thing.

If I could give one piece of advice to my daughter about love it would be this…don’t settle for flowers and chocolates and teddy bears.  Those are just things that anyone can buy.  They aren’t love…merely a placeholder for love.

Instead, demand the real thing.  Look for the man that gifts you his love every day through his words, his everyday actions and his everyday presence.  Who fills your life with joy and purpose and comfort and support.  That’s the best gift of all.

Teresa

P.S.  If your significant other’s love language is gifts or acts of service, I can help speak their language with a family photography session!