Strange I Love Yous

After watching The Simpson’s episode Life On the Fast Lane in Sunday School yesterday morning, we learned our assignment for the week was to think about someone we love and make sure to do something to show that person we love them.

This may sound like a no-brainer, but in my family it takes some pretty strange things to really show your love. I know what you’re thinking . . . fresh flowers, some candy, a sweet card . . . saying I love you can’t be that hard, can it?

Think again. This is what it takes to say I love you to my family:

Fresh guacamole (think: lots of chopping)

A whole afternoon with the kids away from the house so that all the electronic devices in the house may be simultaneously tuned to critical sporting matches and there will be no interruption of efforts to pay attention to all of them at the same time.

Pizza for dinner. Several nights in a row.

Loading the dishwasher, starting the dishwasher, emptying the dishwasher. Repeat.

A whole week of meals planned, cooked, and listed on the fridge before Mom heads out of town (starvation staved off again!)

Being excused from various “official” pastor spouse duties (He declared, “I don’t do public appearances!” but he does if I need him to. And he loves being excused.)

All the junk on the dining room table removed.

Help with homework.

Strange, huh?

But then I got to thinking how it is I know THEY love ME:

One warm little hand slipped into mine while we take a walk together.

All the laundry, done.

Excited kids at the front door when I get home.

Reading books together on the couch.

Family feedback on the sermon (they were listening!)

See . . . some of mine are pretty strange, too. Lucky for me that a lot of these are regular occurrences. That’s something to celebrate, which I plan to do . . . while I clean the junk off the dining room table!