I Cherish You...

...last week at conference, the keynote speaker was Jeff Havens. He uses comedy and tells you how to do everything WRONG and sums up his speech by saying, don't listen to me. One part of his speech really caught my attention. Hopefully I can convey the same message to you, here goes a try...

Do you remember the first time you told your spouse that you loved them? You agonized over it for days, weeks, months! Too afraid to say it to him/her for fear of rejection. Then you finally just blurted it out at probably, the weirdest, most awkward moment because you just couldn't keep it in any more.

Over the next few months, you would giggle and smile any time either of you said, "I love you." You were in LOVE! It was fabulous, it was great, it was fantastic and no way in the world was that feeling ever going to go away when you heard those words.

Then you got married, you fell into a routine, I love you turned to love ya. To get off the phone, "love ya," to leave the house "love ya," at the request of a chore "love ya." Suddenly the phrase "I love you" which gave you that deep, warm fuzzy feeling had turned into a way to end a conversation, to start off someone's day or to request a favor. "I love you" no longer had the same meaning.

His advice was to mix it up. To look into your lover's eyes and say from the bottom of your heart, "I cherish you" or "I adore you." Get rid of that meaningless "love ya" and let your spouse know how much you truly care and LOVE them.

That night was Ash Wednesday. I got to church late and snuck in a pew beside my Mattie. I watched him and rubbed his back as he leaned over to pray then I whispered in his ear, "I cherish you." And know what? That warm, fuzzy feeling came over me.

So to my Pretty, my words may not always show it but I cherish and adore you more than words can express.
Tonight at dinner or after you tuck the kids in, tell your special person how much you adore them.