Romance Me

Most women love romance. Love it. We want to be wooed. We want to be surprised. We want to be cherished. We want to know our spouse is making the effort to think about us enough to plan something special to celebrate us. We like sweet gifts like flowers, jewelry, balloons, love notes, cards, dinner out, a show and chocolate. And with Valentine's Day tomorrow, it is important that men are prepared.

We girls were once alone on Valentine's Day. We were the ones not receiving the sweet Valentine's gifts above. And we didn't like it. We didn't like watching other women receive those kinds of things and feel left out of the love fun. So now that we have a special someone, we want the full Valentine's experience ... even the ridiculously huge fluffy stuffed bear that takes up space and you can do nothing with. It just means we were loved and thought of that day.

But the romance should not just happen on Valentine's Day or on your anniversary. Romance should be all year round. Monday, while sitting at my desk working, my sweet husband came up behind me and laid a bouquet of bright pink tulips in front of me. It was the sweetest gesture! I was completely caught off guard and it brightened my day. I asked, "Is this my Valentine bouquet?" To which he preciously responded, "You said it was Valentine's Month." Indeed I did. I always say February is the Love Month. But not just for spouses by the way. It's for everyone. It is especially a good time to shower some love and sweetness on friends and family who may not otherwise receive it. It is a month to have fun!

Remember the other day when we said "Men need sex to have love and women need love to have sex?" That love we speak of for women has two parts to it: that selfless love where men help us out and care for us and that romance love that goes above and beyond. When couples are dating, guys will go out of their way to get flowers, write notes, get little gifts, etc, but oftentimes the guy figures once he's proposed or married, he's got the girl, so that romance stuff goes by the wayside. If a guy goes out of his way to make his lady feel special, she will certainly go out of her way to make him feel special, wink, wink. The romance should never stop. And honestly, some guys like the romance stuff, too, so girls go for it. Find out what your fiance/spouse likes and meet that need.

• Does she like flowers? What kind? What color?
• Does she like chocolate? Dark, milk or white? What brand?
• Does she like dinner out? Seafood, steak, salads, burgers?
• Does she like jewelry? Dainty or bulky? Real or costume? Blingy or thematic?
• Does she like cards? Mushy or humorous?

And on it goes. Don't just know what she likes ... know details. It shows you care. And that goes the other way around, ladies.

I will never forget the 72-Hour Valentine my husband planned for me when we lived in Wisconsin. The kids were little, and he went all out planning my every hour for several days. It was so precious and meant the world to me. Try to top that one, fellows! So keep the romance coming. Have fun! Enjoy bringing joy to each other! You will both reap the benefits of it, trust us.

Discussion: What do you particularly like to receive from a romance standpoint? Do you like to be surprised? Tell about a moment when your fiance was particularly romantic? What is your idea of a perfect Valentine's Day or weekend?

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for love. We love because You first loved us we're told in 1 John 4:19. Thank you for setting the example of pure beautiful love. May we do likewise and never forget to sweep our loved one off their feet. In Jesus, Amen.