My husband and I didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day this year. But then, on a random day this week, he presented me with a gift, fashionably tied with twine, and a little card stating that it was a “Non-Valentine’s gift, just to be clear.” The gift was two books of love poetry: Love Poems (for Married People) by John Kenney and Love Poems for the Very Married by Lois Wyse. It was a lovely, thoughtful gift.
That night, after we got into bed, I paged through the books and picked out a few poems to read to him. It was surprising (or not, depending on your views of marriage) how unloving, even bitter, some of the poems were. There was one so utterly perfect in its expression of disgust that we got a good, long laugh out of it.
Laughing with my husband is one of my favorite things. Maybe marriage has its moments of bitterness and disgust, but it also comes with unexpected gifts. I am married to a friend who I can laugh with, and if that isn’t love, what is?