My "Not So" Funny Valelntine

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, a day of extravagant love gestures around here. Ever since we were married, Nelson and I skipped the gifts in lieu of a getaway together sans kids. We've always agreed that quality time together is the best gift of all.

This year, however, things are a bit different. Building the house is taking EVERY SPARE minute of Nelson's time. He works, grabs a quick dinner, races to the house site and doesn't return until sometime after midnight. It's been close to a month of this schedule now and I really don't know how he's doing it...or how I am for that matter. All I can say is that the grace is there. God always knows what you need when you need it. He's giving that grace to my hard working man and his newly "house widowed" wife.

My big plan for this year was to cook him a nice steak dinner and then surprise him by showing up at the house to lend him a hand. All that changed when Mackenzie came home sick Tuesday afternoon. My normally chipper, independent 6 year old was running a temperature of 102 and was weepy and clingy - I'm talking wanted to be carried, held, snuggled with, etc.

Needless to say, I didn't make it to the grocery store so the best I could come up with from what I had on stock was homemade chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, green beans and biscuits. Nelson told me he'd be home at 5:30.

Dinner was ready when I got the next text that he would be closer to 6. Back to the oven to warm it went. At 6 I got everything ready again and sat the boys down. Mackenzie had gone to bed an hour earlier and the boys were now starving.

Just as I was putting it on the plates a new message - 7 minutes out. The boys and I began eating. Well, I ate. They decided that they didn't like chicken. About 10 minutes into eating I saw Nelson's car pull into the driveway so I poured his glass of wine, popped his plate in the microwave and put it onto the table along with his card and some new cookies I made.

Still no Nelson. The boys, leaving their full plates on the table, ran outside to greet him only to find that his car was not there. I finished eating and began clearing the table and washing the dishes by the time Nelson walked in the door around 7:40.

He ate alone as I washed up the boys and readied them for bed. I was just about to sneak out to call the sitter when I noticed that Nelson was now sitting on the couch in his pajamas. "No house work tonight," he sighed, too exhausted to move.

Foiled was dinner. Foiled was my gift. Foiled was Valentine's.

I wish I had another story. Other, in fact all other, Valentine's Days have been better. I knew this was coming. I had no expectations...especially once I realized Nelson didn't even know Valentines was Wednesday when I asked him about it on Tuesday.

I had a lot of time to think about it since I was housebound with a sick child. I thought about all the Valentine's Days in the past I spent wishing I had a Valentine of my own. I thought about the over commercialism of the day and the cheesy plastic flowers and stuffed bears. Then I thought about Nelson.

I realize now that I did give him a gift this year. I let him off the hook. So much so, that I didn't even remind him how off the hook I let him. I assessed the situation, put no unrealistic expectations on him, and was thankful for the simple fact that I have someone to be mine.

He also gave me a gift. Some husbands buy flowers or candy. Mine...is building me a house. He's making our dreams come true in the most tangible way. He's sacrificing time with me and the kids. He's sacrificing sleep. He's sacrificing a lot.

I know he's doing all this out of love for me. Out of love for our kids. Out of a desire to provide for us. I know this because that's just the kind of man he is. I married him with this knowledge and I see it more and more with each passing day. What better Valentine could I possibly want?

Hopefully, we will have many more Valentine's Days together. I'm sure there will be many a candle lit dinner and romantic getaway. There will be other gifts. I'm not sure, however, that any will be more extravagant than the year he built a house for me. And I will remind him of that next year when we're in that house curled up next to the fireplace, wine in hand and candles lit. I will kiss him then and thank him for the year he built me this house.