We all need to be reminded every so often that true, everlasting love isn't about grand, sweeping gestures so much as the little things that make our lives better on a daily basis. And nobody understands that better than blogger Heather Delaney, who wrote about the ways in which her husband makes her feel cared for in a now-viral Facebook post.
Like many of us, Delaney wrote that she wasted "a lot of time looking for all the ways in which love in shown in the movies, in the magazines, and on the commercials."
You know, the kind that involves bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates and surprise getaways to exotic locations. As a result, she found herself constantly disappointed with her husband's apparent lack of romance.
"I was looking for the ways that I was being told he should show his love, instead of paying attention to how he actually does show his love," Delaney wrote.
He may not buy her flowers very often, but he does call her every day when he gets off work to see if she needs anything picked up.
He may not bring home chocolates, but whenever he sees "anything that resembles a slice of plant-based, organic goodness," he always buys it for her and proudly surprises her with his "latest grocery store find."
He may not set up their "dining room with candles flickering and plates of gourmet goodness laid out," but he does wake up every Sunday morning to make coffee, pour it into her favorite mug, and pass it to her while she cozies up on the living room couch.
He also does the dishes, he's "watched Sleepless in Seattle when he would rather be watching Jason Bourne," he's "gotten up in the middle of the night with a crying baby," and he's done pharmacy runs for her feminine hygiene products. Plus, when they eat out, he always switches plates with her if what he ordered turns out to be better.
And, as the photo that accompanies the post demonstrates, "he always pushes the grocery cart," and lets her sit in the warmth of the truck while he loads it up. "He always unlocks the doors immediately so that I can get in, and then proceeds to unload the groceries, while I’m sat in the truck with the seat warmers on. Rain or shine—every time—this is our grocery game plan," Delaney wrote.
She admitted that it took her "many years to appreciate being loved like this," but that, when she finally realized this is what love really looks like, it was a "relationship game changer."
After all, the flowers and the chocolates and the surprise getaways, those are all flashy and temporary.
"It’s in the moments that you can depend on (over and over and over again), well, that’s where the love is found," she wrote. "The good love. The always love. Like your ‘most coziest blanket on a fall day’ love."
Delaney ended the post by encouraging other women to "search for the one who will push your grocery cart," because "that’s where the always kinda love is."
Delaney put up the post on October 13th, and it quickly went viral, gaining nearly 390,000 shares in less than a month.
"Love love love this," one Facebook user commented. "Some days I struggle to appreciate and see the way he shows me love. I’m learning love isn’t normally like it is in movies."
"Realizing how blessed we are for the little things is a great feeling, isn't it," another Facebook user commented.
Indeed, it truly is. And for more stories about the significance of the little things, check out This Dad's Viral Facebook Post Wonderfully Explains How to Support Your Wife After She Has a Baby.
