Ahh, Leap Year, 366 Days to Love Your Lover

Happy Valentines Day to Our Readers!

Leap Year is a gift! An extra day to Love Your Lover. If you are reading this on Monday, you may be scrambling to find roses that won’t cost a small fortune for Valentine’s Day or find a babysitter for that special dinner. Good Luck! If you are reading this on Saturday morning over a cup of coffee and that fancy Valentine’s date is a warm glow in the rear-view mirror, Read on.

There are many ways to Love your Lover

Keep it simple. Be intentional in living your marriage. Intentionally means to do something deliberately, consciously or with purpose. (Check out this Link on Intentional Marriage.) It didn’t happen on a whim. You planned for it to happen and persisted until it happened. Let’s focus on simple everyday intentionality. (Check out this Link for some everyday ways to Love your Lover.)

Being Intentional is Focusing on Your Spouse

TOM : I can be intentional in complimenting MF on the way she looks or something she did, and sometimes she swats away my compliment. Gifts are not her thing either, especially cut flowers which wilt and fade. But spend a little extra time cleaning a bathroom or returning her car to the garage with a full tank and I score big points! Check out this short video on the 5 Love Languages and score even more points in Loving your Lover this year — Yup! 366 days!

Step ONE

TOM: Step one is determining your Love Language and sharing it with your spouse. Here is a Link to the 5 Love Languages Quiz. MF is lucky because I receive love in all 5 of the Love Languages almost equally. So many choices! 😉 Words of Affirmation is my highest score. Her dominant (and I mean Dominant!) Love Language is Acts of Service. For me, being intentional is beating her to the punch and crossing off the Honey Do List before she even creates it.

Step TWO

MF: Step two is remembering to Love your Lover in their love language and not yours. I was one of 5 with a special needs twin and words of affirmation were not equally distributed amongst us. I became a classic over achiever because I had to rely on results, scores and achievement for affirmation. To me, Words of Affirmation can come across as phony and empty because I know I can always do better.

MF: Being intentional in my marriage is reminding myself that Words of Affirmation fill Tom’s Love tank. A simple compliment or a thanks for something done out of the blue, especially if delivered with a big hug or an affectionate kiss while snuggling on the couch makes his day. I can knock it out of the park and capitalize on his 3 top Love Languages — Words of Affirmation, Quality Time and Physical Touch. It’s not my Love Language, but loving Tom in his Love Language is key. I am learning that giving and receiving Words of Affirmation can be powerful (Power of Affirmation) not only for Tom but for myself as well.

We are blessed this Leap Year with an extra day to be Intentional in our Love. 366 Days of speaking your spouse’s Love Language and becoming better at receiving Love no matter how it is spoken. Journey with me and check out this book, Receiving Love. Receiving love is as important as giving love. Make the decision today to take advantage of an extra day this Leap Year to be intentional, by speaking your spouse’s Love Language. Celebrate your Valentine everyday!