I can’t let this Hallmark Holiday go by without restating that I remain silly. Yes, when The Spouse said, …

…”of course, silly” when I asked him on November 7, 2012, to marry me. That date was when we awoke to the news that the voters of Maryland denied a referendum to overturn a new law that our legislature passed that provided for same-sex marriage (or as some call it, “Marriage Equality”). Our state became the first in the USA to provide us the right to a full marriage (not a lesser “civil union”) as approved by popular vote (not judicial action).

So today and every day is a celebration of love for us. Every day is Valentine’s Day.

For my beloved Spouse, I repeat this poetry written by Donald Ewing and Clint Black:

I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
I still believe the words we said
Forever will ring true

Love is certain, love is kind
Love is yours and love is mine
But it isn’t something that we find
It’s something that we do

It’s holding tight, lettin’ go
It’s flying high and laying low
Let your strongest feelings show
And your weakness, too

It’s a little and a lot to ask
An endless and a welcome task
Love isn’t something that we have
It’s something that we do

We help to make each other all that we can be
Though we can find our strength and inspiration independently
The way we work together is what sets our love apart
So closely that you can’t tell where I end and where you start

It gives me heart remembering how
We started with a simple vow
There’s so much to look back on now
Still it feels brand-new

We’re on a road that has no end
And each day we begin again
Love’s not just something that we’re in
It’s something that we do

We help to make each other all that we can be
Though we can find our strength and inspiration independently
The way we work together is what sets our love apart
So closely that you can’t tell where I end and where you start

Love is wide, love is long
Love is deep and love is strong
Love is why I love this song
And I hope you love it too

I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
Love isn’t just those words we said
It’s something that we do

There’s no request too big or small
We give ourselves, we give our all
Love isn’t someplace that we fall
It’s something that we do

Life is short: show those you love how you love them, in actions, deeds, and words.