Today is Valentine’s Day.  We are supposed to be all lovey-dovey with our significant other.  But sometimes it doesn’t work out that way.

My husband and I are going through tough times right now.  Both of us are dealing with various aches and pains and minor but wearing health issues that are part of aging. His son has had a relapse of leukemia and my husband is trying to split his time between the hospital, traveling for work and us.  I’m worn out by my work and the draining commute I have each day.  And I’m constantly worried about my 90 year old aunt who refuses to move in with us.  She can hardly see and spends too much time alone.  

We are stressed out and spread thin.  But out in our day jobs, we have to hold it together.  We need to keep an even demeanor in public.  So of course we tend to get cranky and short with each other.  Who else can we let let down our guard with?  Just this morning, on the day dedicated to romance and love, we had a fight about this very thing.  We left and went our separate ways angry with each other.

I know neither of us was more than a few minutes out of the house when we regretted snapping at each other.  It won’t be the last time this will happen, at least not as long as life keeps pummeling us at the same time.  It’s hard to hold each other up when you are getting knocked down together.

But the thing is, I know that this is just what it is, a rough patch.  As mad or annoyed as we may be with each other,  we’ll get around to talking it out, apologizing and forgiving.  It’s how we roll.

So although starting Valentine’s Day with a fight may not be romantic, it’s still love.  And the day’s not over yet.