The Growing Definition of Love

Today’s blog is brought to you by Ashley Anderson Hill, recent newlywed, and Amy Rees Anderson’s amazing daughter 🙂

After recently getting married back in May, I’ve learned that my definition of love changes and develops every single day.  When we were dating, love was when Alex would surprise me with flowers, or take me out on a hot date. Love was when he would put time and effort into planning and made sure I was home at a reasonable hour. Love was when he verbally told me he loved me. Love was the big things.

Now that we’re married, I see love very differently. Love is when he makes conscious efforts to change his lifetime of habitual routines (i.e. leaving his shoes out in the middle of the floor, his shaved facial hair in the sink, and his wet colored clothes from the laundry on our white bed.) Love is when he thinks twice and waits until I’m home from work before hanging a picture on the wall because he knows I’ll want the final say on where it should go. Love is when he wakes up early to get gas in my car before I even knew the car was on empty. Love is when he has the courage to tell me if I’m in the wrong, and gently reminds me to apologize to others. Love is when he lets me rant about my problems and just listens rather than trying to fix them.

Granted, we’ve only been married for about 4 months now, and I can almost guarantee that he won’t always remember to fill the car up with gas before I have to leave to work and realize it’s on empty. But the reason for all this isn’t to point out the shining qualities, or the bad habits, of my husband. Rather, the point is that the definition of love can never be fully understood at one moment in time…the definition of love grows through a lifetime of moments, experiences, trials, failures, and successes.  And its only after we’ve experienced those things will we know that we knew what love was.

I know that I have only scratched the very surface of the definition of love, and there is only more to come with time. I’m grateful for a husband who constantly teaches me what love is, and who loves me enough to support me in all my crazy life endeavors.

Whether it’s from a spouse, sibling, friend, or parent, try to learn and grow your definition of love just a little bit more today! <3

~Ashley Anderson Hill (the beloved daughter covering for da boss, aka Mom Amy Rees Anderson)

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