How I Know My Husband Loves Me

On Monday, we lost a dear friend. He was a great guy to be around, a former US Marine, a devoted husband, and loving father. Gone at the very much too young age of 37. When Daniel came home that night, I hugged him and wouldn’t let go for a long time. He asked, “What was that for?” The only thing I could say was, “You’re almost 37!”

The truth is, it’s easy to take people for granted – especially those closest to you. You don’t expect those you love to go to work and not come home. I never expected to start losing friends this young.

As much as we may drive each other crazy, I’m so thankful for my husband. And I’m simply thankful I’ve never gotten the phone call telling me he wouldn’t be coming home. Which made me think of (some, not all) other simple things my husband does that I am thankful for (besides coming home).

10. He is Spider-Man. No, he doesn’t shoot webs out of his hands or kiss me while hanging upside-down. But he does come to my rescue whenever there is a spider around. I’m not a girly-girl, but I do NOT want to be in the same zip code as a spider. Big or small, he’ll kill them all. Sure, he makes fun of me if they’re tiny, and I should have just killed it myself, but he’ll still squish it for me. I don’t care how much he laughs as long as the spider is dead.

9. I get cold feet. Not nervous. Literal cold feet. My toes freeze at night. You know the only way to get rid of cold feet? Put them on someone warm! That’s one of the best things about sharing the bed with someone. Putting your cold feet on someone who’s warm works so much better than socks. If your man lets you put your cold feet on him, he’s a keeper.

8. Sweet nothings. If food was a love language, it would be ours. We both like to cook for each other to show love or appreciation. On my birthday, Daniel made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with the kids for me. True, I did just have my wisdom teeth pulled and couldn’t eat them, but it was a really sweet thought. Plus, he kept the kids entertained, so I could rest. That’s definitely a 2-for-1 on the brownie points scale.

* Brownie points are a real thing. They add up. You can trade them in for something equally as sweet or lose them all for one much smaller stupid thing. Brownie may, however, not be offered again if you do choose to trade them in for that small stupid thing.

7. Danville, Land of Hobbies. There’s not much to do where we live, so everyone has at least 2 or 3 hobbies. It took me a while to find one. Being a mommy is such a full-time job, I couldn’t even imagine having spare time to do one. I just figured dieting was my hobby. That was until I was given a sewing machine. I’ve come to love learning how to use it and seeing what I can make with it. Since I don’t have a mannequin, I have to try things on myself over and over. Daniel has been so supportive whenever I’m trying to make something. He’ll help me think through a pattern and even pin the dress for me. He’s patient when I ask him constantly, “Did I fix it now? How’s it look?” Listen up, ladies – a man is being patient about me trying a dress on – and NOT different dresses, the same dress over and over.

6. Money, money, money! Daniel handles all of our finances. Yes, all you feminists out there, that goes contrary to popular opinion. But you know what? It’s nice knowing I don’t have to worry about the bills – he’s got it handled. I don’t have to worry about anything financial – he’s got it covered. I know many women can’t rely on their husbands to handle everything, but I am truly blessed in that department.

5. Give me some sugar! Daniel is super affectionate. That man loves hugs, holding hands, the arm around the shoulder… I, on the other hand, can completely forget about that altogether. I’m so bad about remembering normal people aren’t like me – they need affection. I know Daniel loves me, because he’ll keep hugging me even when I forget. He never gives up on me, no matter how clueless I tend to be.

4. I’m a sympathetic puker. That’s what my sister would call me when I’d want to throw up, because others around me were sick. I can’t stand the smell, sound, or even the sight of throw up. If I’m around it, I’m going to get sick too. That’s not a good thing when you have kids. Daniel is so good about cleaning up after them when that happens. I’ll get up with them during the night, but if there’s throw up involved, I’m running for help. I run, because I can’t hang around it too long before I’m a goner. Just the thought of it… Buh!

3. Laughter is the spice of life. Daniel laughs at my jokes. Even if they’re not funny, he’ll laugh . . . mostly at me and not the joke, but that’s beside the point. I’ll take someone laughing at me as long as I got them laughing. Sometimes, I have a very strong sense of nerd humor – he’s the only one who gets those. How sad a life would it be if you lived with someone who never laughed at your jokes? I mean, I’m happy with even “the head down, shaking in disbelief, no-I’m-not-going-to-laugh-at-that” inner chuckle.

2. He likes it! Hey Mikey! I’ve already said that food is our love language. Well, it’s one of the greatest things when Daniel likes my cooking. I mean, c’mon – I’m married to Mama D. Cooking is his hobby (thank you, Danville). But even when it’s something that looks completely nasty, he’ll try it. No, it doesn’t always work out, but that fact that he tried it let me know he loves me.

* This action is an example of what can earn brownie points. These brownie points should probably be traded in quickly for some of my fried chicken . . . which we all know is way better than that Pinterest recipe I just tried.

1. For my husband tells me so.  I know my husband loves me, because he tells me he loves me. That statement means so much more than the surface. It means, I can trust my husband. I know many people who don’t always feel this same way. I know he makes it a point of not lying to me . . . usually it’s an overly-detailed long-winded (did I just fall asleep in the middle of his story?) explanation, but it’s always the truth. I know my husband loves me, because I trust him. Because he tells me he loves me, I know he loves me.

These past few days have been hard on everyone, especially the family of our friend. Please keep them in your prayers, and hold your loved ones while you can. And find the simple ways to show someone you love them.