FocusOnTheFamily

Valentine's Day: What's a man to do?

Written by Clark Cothern

“So tell me,” I asked my wife, “what’s your idea of a heartfelt, genuine expression of love on Valentine’s Day?”

I was curious because the commercials had convinced me that the only way my sweetheart would know I cared was if I gave her expensive gifts like diamonds, a fur coat or a two-week cruise to the Bahamas.

“Well . . . ” my wife thought for a moment, “I think coming home to a clean house would be a great start. I’m usually tired after work, so that would be a great way to say ‘I love you.’

”OK, I thought, that I can handle. I mentally checked off the cruise.

“What else says, ‘I care’?”

“Um, remember the time when you and the kids had dinner ready? That was priceless.”

Check off the fur coat.

“So,” I continued, “if a five-pound box of chocolates communicates affection, then would a 10-pound box say it twice as loudly?”

She laughed. “No. That would say I need to double the number of workouts over the next week.”

Check off the huge box of candy.

“What really stands out,” she explained, “are the simple things that show you have paid attention to the details in my world.”

“Not that I haven’t been paying attention, but like what?”

“Well, like making a mental note when I ooh and ahh over a particular perfume when we go window shopping, then going back later to buy a small bottle for me.”

Schedule time to visit the perfume counter with her later this week.

“Or a small bouquet of flowers delivered to me at work so my co-workers can see that my husband did something sweet.”

“So you’re saying that a husband doesn’t have to take out a second mortgage in order to satisfy the expectations of his wife on Valentine’s Day?”

“Not at all. In fact, the small gestures, handwritten notes and tiny personal touches – rather than something over the top – warm a woman’s heart.”

“So I should cancel the airplane that’s scheduled to bomb our yard with rose petals?”

She laughed. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Clark Cothern and his wife, Joy, celebrate their 30th Valentine’s Day as husband and wife this year in Michigan.

Tired of the old "dinner-and-a-movie" Valentine's date? Click here for fun and creative date ideas.

© 2007 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.

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