Flowers Everyday

I like flowers.  I like receiving them, and I like knowing that my husband has been thinking of me when I receive them.  Neither of us are really the daily romance types, so when he thinks of these things, it means a lot to me.

The thing is, I tend to want flowers more often than he thinks of them.  And then my feelings get hurt....

I remember talking with a woman once who receives flowers every week from her husband.  At first I was jealous--wow, flowers every week!  Then I thought, what if they take those for granted? Does she know what day of the week is flower day, and just expect them?  Does it ever get old?  How do they celebrate the really special occasions--or is every week a special occasion?

I was recently set straight on this.  One of my guilty pleasures is reading a certain advice column.  Over the columnist's holiday break, she had readers write in with their advice;

                                   

                                  From a long time married woman, now a recent widow:  It's not the literal                           

                                 flowers, it's the million little things he does that usually go unnoticed, those are                

                                the real flowers.

I started thinking about it, and realized my husband gives me flowers every day, not every week, and not whenever he thinks of it.  His flowers are the back and foot rubs when his hands hurt worse than I do.  Not having to pump gas in the rain.  Taking over with the kids when I need to step back.  Working from home on grocery days so he can help bring them in from the car.  Putting up with the kitties.  Taking care of the house, helping with the chores, and making sure things get done.  Checking the fluid levels in the car, changing the oil, and refilling the windshield washer fluid.  Getting the kids through their bedtime routines so I can have a few minutes to myself each evening.  The sacrifices he makes so I can be a SAHM, and we can still have everything we need.  Taking a dedicated lunch break on his work from home days to spend some time with just me before the boys get home from school.  Taking Avery to school on his way to work so I can either sleep in or take a slower start to my day.  Running to the store for a few quick items so I don't have to, or stopping on the way home from his seemingly endless commute.  It's when he brings water to me because he knows I'm always thirsty, just in case I ran out.  It's the giddy feeling it gives me when he takes the time to ask about my day and listen while I ramble on about the mundane, when he reads my blog, and humors my need for him to look through the pictures I've taken that day.

These are just a few things Shawn does nearly every day.  These are the flowers he gives me, showing his affection and his love. Truth be told, I would rather have these every day than flowers every week.  We'll continue to save those for just because, and special occasions.  I'm grateful to have such an attentive husband, and I know I'm lucky.