love in its simplest form

today i'm talking about love in its simplest form.  it's been a while again that i have not blogged.  many good and not so good things have happened which i have failed to document in this blog.  but yesterday, God sort of nudged me a bit that made me want to write (blog) about it.

my little family and i were at sunday mass which was packed full.  the kids and i fit in a pew while the hubby was in the pew in front of us.  beside him was a much more little family than ours.

a man, two sons.  one son had down syndrome.  the other was normal, around 18 years old.  

since they were right in front of me, i could see their little gestures and affectionate pats on the arm, loving smiles and the dad's sweet kiss on his son with down syndrome's cheek.  they were a picture of a happy, contented family who loved one another dearly.  i wondered where their mom might be?

later, hubby told me, since he was sitting beside the normal son that he saw him show his brother his cellphone, took his brother's hand and let him touch with his fingers the touchscreen phone.  and it brightened his brother's face.

wow.  love.

i took this as an opportunity to make sermon my kids again as to how they should be loving each other.  of course, as always, they didn't seem to be listening to me.  but i know in my mind that they are keeping these life lessons in their hearts.

“I sustain myself with the love of family.” 

― Maya Angelou

marriage and then some

today is a testimony of my love for him more than ever.  ok, i promise this won't be cheesy.  just a matter-of-fact translation of what i actually feel right now.

i was thinking this morning on my way to work, that i've already accepted his mistakes and shortcomings.  yes, after almost 9 years i am finally able to cope.  i guess.  i hope. 

there was a time when i almost gave up on this marriage.  and today i think that experience made our bond stronger.  and all the negative things that happened and may still be happening has brought us to a new level in our relationship, a deeper understanding of our many conflicting personalities that i realized, compliment each other.  like now, his bad temper makes me appreciate when he is extra sweet.  when he does things that are wrong for me, i am reminded of the many right things he does.  when he sometimes scolds the kids excessively, i know he loves them more than they'll ever know.  sometimes, he can be a bit offensive with his words but this is put to good use when he is defending me and our family.  which makes me secure that he will always protect us.  through the years, he has learned to apologize sincerely.  

today his imperfections became the perfect tools for me to decide to love him more.  after all, marriage is not just love, it's a decision. 

happy father's day

For my Dad

For my Hubby