Almost three years ago and soon after we started seeing each other, I received what I would consider my favorite Valentine of all, and it wasn’t even February.

It moved me so much that I wanted to share his words with everyone. At the time, there really wasn’t much of an audience for this, but I want to share some of these words with you now, and take a few minutes now to try to pen a worthy response.

My love wrote:

… So I will be confident and patient and mature. And I will be quiet and thoughtful because I am already those things (o.k., we could debate the “quiet” part of that statement).

And I will stand beside you, and I will listen, and I will make you laugh, and I will be there for you.

And I will find a song to sing to you and a smile to share with you.

And I will always be glad to see you.

There is nothing in me that could have failed if Heaven wanted me to find you.

If I hadn’t already known then that I was in love, this sure sealed it for me.

So on this Valentine’s Eve I want to tell him how much he means to me and what a difference he has made in my life. I hope he knows this already, but I don’t think there is any way I can possibly express how much I love this man.

I love how fiercely protective he is of me. I love the way he cares for me and even the way he nags me to take my vitamins and iron pill.

I love how caring and generous he is with his friends and family. I love that he is a great father to his children and has developed such a great relationship with them and he is trying so hard to do the same with my kids (they sure don’t make it easy though).

I love how he is constantly tinkering to come up with a better way to do just about anything, whether it’s the budget or how his closet or shoes are organized.

Most of all, I think what I love the most about him is the way he encourages me to be all I want to be and stretch my wings creatively. He inspires me to take more pictures, write more, read more. All this while letting me know that I am fine just the way I am.

Now if only I could get him to come through on that promise about finding a song to sing to me.

I love you Douglas.