A Wordless "I Love You"

In a rush of morning frenzy, I yanked open the door of the refrigerator.  Peering in with droopy, pre-coffee eyes, I reached for the juice and was greeted by a love note from The Hubs.  It read...

I love you, Jamie.  I'm thinking of you right now and am praying you have a wonderful day.  I can't wait to see you when I get home from work.  Until then, remember that you are such a gift to me.

{wistful sigh!}

Ok, so it didn't really say that.  In fact it didn't say anything at all.  It was wordless.  Wordless.  And yet, it spoke volumes.

This little heart tag, with it's simple ribbon, was given in love over five years ago during a season of romantic flat-line.  The Hubs and I had just had baby #3, were expecting baby #4, and were operating in a constant state of exhaustion.  In the rare moments that we had enough energy to plan a romantic date, we always found that we had way more MONTH than MONEY.  

In a moment of desperation to remember the love that we both had for each other but were often too distracted and drained to show, I gathered a few supplies from my scrapbooking stash and created a little "tag 'o love."

I hid this wordless "I love you" inside The Hubs' wallet along with a simple note of instructions.

This was a traveling love note.  Whoever had it in his/her possession had to hide it for the other spouse to find throughout the daily grind.  Once found, it would act as an instant reminder of the love the giver had for the receiver.  

Created as a spur-of-the-moment romantic gesture, this hide-and-seek game has continued for over five years.  Our little tag is weathered and worn from much use but remains a constant cornerstone of romance in our harried-raising five kids-folding mounds of laundry-paying the bills-changing diapers-shopping for groceries-mowing the lawn-EVERYDAY life.

Whether it's tucked inside a shirt the night before a crucial business presentation, slipped inside the pages of a Bible on a busy Sunday morning, or taped to the steering wheel of a truck in preparation for a short trip, our wordless "I love you" sits in silent anticipation for days...sometimes weeks...before it is finally found and treasured for the love note that it is.  

Five years and countless games of hide-and-seek later, my heart still flutters every time I find the tag tucked away just for me.  

A love note speaking volumes without ever saying anything at all.