A Love You Can See

Our middle kiddo, Nate, is a sports kids.  He loves playing, watching, or talking about anything sports.  Baseball, football, basketball, you name it, he will discuss it.  His favorite sport is whichever one he is playing at the time.  We have been blessed with a wonderful group of boys and families that he plays with.  And after being on the same team for several years now and crossing over all the sports we have gotten to know these families fairly well, not only the boys and their parents but also some of the grandparents.  A couple of years ago one of the grandparents said something to me I will NEVER forget, and has GREATLY impacted my marriage.

My husband often travels for his job.  Not every week, but often.  Sometimes its just for a night or two, sometimes it's most of the week.  This particular week I'm thinking about he had been gone almost all week.  He was arriving back in town in the early evening on a friday.  The kids and I were already at the ball field waiting for the start of the game when Erik arrived.  I hadn't seen him all week so naturally my face broke into a big smile and I got up from my seat and met him a hug and a kiss (appropriate for families to see!).

On my back to my seat I heard one of my friends whisper to her mom (the grandma) "I think he was gone all week".  Grandma must have thought this was how I always greeted my husband after a long day at work!  Although I probably should, alas, I do not always greet my husband with a big smile, hug and kiss when he returns home!  But it was what grandma said to me a few minutes later that really got me thinking.  As we settled in for the start of the game Erik went to tell Nate he had made it and the grandma walked by to her seat.  She leaned forward and said to me "You know, out of all the parents on this team I always thought you and your husband were the most in love!"  Then she smiled and moved on to her seat!

"Huh?"  I was speechless!  Now, I'm not saying that my husband and I actually ARE more in love than anyone else!  I'm not implying that anyone is less in love than we are.  It very well may be the case that grandma tells this to EVERY couple she meets.  And you know what?  I think she should! 

I spent hours, yes HOURS, thinking about this comment after she made it, trying to figure out what she saw.  What were we doing that made us look so "in love"?  What did she see?  Did other people see it too?  The thing that this comment made me want to do more than anything else was love my husband.  All the sudden, I had this OVERWHELMING desire to love him!  To love him to such an extent and in such a way that other people couldn't help but notice.  Not so they would notice me, but so that they would notice LOVE.  Love like the love of Christ, like the kind of love that everyone needs.  I wanted them to see that in me.  This innocent little comment changed my marriage.  I have always loved my  husband, and I always will.  I hope you can see it!