This week’s article comes to you from the memories of Carolyn Nowack, wife and partner of George Nowack. The idea grew from a small, four word, open sentence, uttered by my loving and beloved husband.
By the way, you might want to keep track of the number of times the work LOVE shows up in my tale
IN THE BEGINNING…
It all started with the phrase, “If you LOVED me…”
Now, George and I have traded this simple statement back and forth at least 50 million times in our soon to be 36 years of LOVING matrimony. I don’t remember who started it, (probably George), but it has been a main stay in our vocabulary. The phrase usually ends with a simple request, uttered in LOVING tones.
Some examples would be: If you LOVED me, you’d get me a drink of water…If you LOVED me, you’d let me get a new lawn tractor…If you LOVED me, you’d call “so-an-so” back for me. I think you get the drift.
Anyway, this has been a very busy week, and with George’s medications on top of everything else that life chose to toss our way, he was, to put it LOVINGLY, pretty brain dead.
It did not come as too much of a surprise, when I heard him utter the first four words of that blasted sentence…”If you LOVED me, you would…help me with this week’s article.” So what’s a LOVING spouse to do? With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I had a subject…no problem, so far.
WHAT IT TRULY MEANS…
Such a simple little word, LOVE.
We use it constantly, whether referring to people, pets, food, clothing, or walks along the beach.
Our first experience with love is that of the people we come into contact with first: Family. Family dynamics (and in many cases dramatics) being complex, there is usually someone in your relationship who you LOVE and who has given you time, attention, and support…someone you can turn to for advice, a hug, or a smile. Whether it is immediate or extended family, we learn about LOVE very early in our existence.
As we grow a bit older, and venture outside of our home, we learn that this feeling can extend to others who are not directly related to us. Our feelings expand to embrace teachers, classmates, characters in books, or on television.
I can remember celebrating Valentine’s Day in Elementary School. A few days before the 14th, we would create big envelopes from the ugliest heavy, grey paper that you can imagine. We were then given glue, sparkles, red paper, and scissors, and directed to decorate it. One of the most important parts of the decoration was our name, which was to be emblazoned on the front.
These strange looking folders would then be hung along the wall. On Valentine’s Day, aside from the cookies and candy, we would be declaring our LOVE and affection for our classmates by delivering our Valentine Cards to their gaily decorated “mailboxes.” What a simple, uncomplicated time: cookies, candy, and cards.
AND, IN THE END…
Through the years, as we grow, Love takes on other guises. There is LOVE at first sight…unrequited LOVE…LOVE of country… and the special LOVE we have for that one person, our soul mate, our partner in life.
It is that LOVE, which might cause a spouse to take a deep breath, blow the cobwebs from her brain, and attempt writing something at her husband’s request.
Sit back and relax my dear, your Valentine has been delivered to your gaudy grey mailbox.
Now, If you LOVED me…!