Couples Kissing at Sunset – MSN Clipart

With it being Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share with you our Journey of Love
through a series of stories I’ve written. 

This year, my husband and I will be married 47 years and when we first met and fell in love we talked about this journey and shared our dreams with one another.

I was only 19 at the time and it was during the Viet Nam War when we first met. Jim was in the Air Force stationed at a small radar site outside of a small town in Virginia where my grandparents lived. We talked about having a family, where we wanted to live, likes―dislikes, how we’d weather the unforeseen storms and growing old together.

Last summer I wrote a story reflecting on when we first met and our “wedding” (though it turned out not to be a real wedding). It was the beginning of our journey and it’s called “Young Love to Old Love”.

In 2008, I wrote a Valentine’s week love series of 5-stories – 1 story each day. Here are the links:

(1) Love ― Monday through Friday – Part 1 of 5
This is Valentine’s week and I know that love is not limited to a day or a week but I wanted to address all the facets of love I can come up with in this week’s posts. My husband and I have been married for 42 years and I have learned a lot about love and different relationships and that there’s a time to give and a time to receive. I know there are still some new things about love I can learn and the spiritual ways to express it. Read more

(2) Love ― A Deeper Connection ― Part 2 of 5
Since we’re talking about love this week, I wanted to touch on the subject from perhaps a different perspective. What does it feel like for you to be loved? You want to be valued and know that your love will hold up with the test of time. The love I’m talking about is more than just the physical attraction. Read more

(3) How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways ― Part 3 of 5
It’s the day before Valentine’s and I can picture everyone scurrying around shopping and surfing through cards trying to pick the one that best fit their sentiments. How do you effectively express your love to someone that’s meaningful and touches the heart? It’s easy to pick out a card or take your loved one to dinner and why not? It’s fun and it’s sweet. But sometimes you want to do something a little different – something that will be remembered longer than when Valentine’s Day is gone. Read more

(4) A Song For All Lovers (John Denver – The Wildlife Concert) ― Part 4 of 5
Today’s the day – Valentine’s Day! I’ve been talking about Love all week and the different facets: from Love being a common denominator to a deeper connection to counting the ways that you deeply cherish and love one another. We’ve talked some on the lines of our physical connections but for Valentine’s Day, I want to talk about our heart and soul connections. Read more

(5) Keeping Love Fresh and Vibrant ― Part 5 of 5
It’s the day after Valentine’s Day. Is how you feel about your beloved still fresh and vibrant? All the celebration is over and the expectations have been fulfilled, what do you do now to keep that spark going – anything? Or….is it back to normal, same old routines, job, chores and running errands? Do you let the responsibilities of life dampen the thrill of what you and your loved one shared on Valentine’s Day? It was a special day wasn’t it? Read more

In whatever relationship you’re in, whether romantic or not (i.e. in love with your puppy), I hope you know love, feel especially loved this day and pass it along ― like the song “What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love” sung by Jackie DeShannon in the ‘60’s.

Pat from the ol’ kitchen table