Love Versus Hearts and Candy

February is an odd little month. It’s obviously shorter than all the rest and has that extra “r” that nobody pronounces . . . but makes you sound as if you have a speech impediment if you do try to say it in conversation. Then there’s the overabundance of pink and red hearts, teddy bears, and copious amounts of candy—all are which are used as measuring sticks for how much you are loved by your spouse or significant other.

Yet another odd thing is that if you don’t get the right amount (or size), of all those aforementioned trinkets then you become hurt and/or mad at that other person and suddenly your special day of love (February 14) has set you at odds, and you feel anything but loved. It’s crazy, ya’ll!

Let me give you all a bit of wisdom and insight: all those things are ways for the industry to get your money, and they have absolutely nothing to do with how much you are loved. Obligatory holidays are just that, something you know you have to do to keep the peace. If you want to know what love is, it’s not found in a heart shaped box of chocolates, but it’s found in the heart (shocking, right?). Love is when it’s below zero and snowy/icy outside and your husband leaves for work at 4a.m. to provide for you and your children. Love is when you’re fixing dinner and realize that there were only 3 pieces of meat in the pack instead of four and you fix everyone’s plate first and then position yours so nobody notices you didn’t have any. Love is when your teenager realizes an adult stranger is walking too close to a younger sibling and quietly steps in between the two to make sure that sibling is safe. Love is when a grown sibling drives 90 minutes one way to have a cup of coffee and chat for a few minutes before making the return 90 minute trip.

Love is a verb; it takes action every single day in little ways, in big ways, in ways we never even know because love is working behind the scenes not standing in the spotlight crying, “Look at me!” So as February rolls by and the rest of the year looms before you, look for those little acts of love in others. Look for ways to show acts of love to your spouse and family. You’ll find that it’s far more exciting (and less fattening) than any box of chocolates.

Joesette Huffman is a dynamic speaker, blogger, wife and homeschooling mother of two. She is is active both in the online homeschooling world and in her local homeschool community and church, as well as a volleyball coach and co-op leader. You can find her weekly at Learning Curve.