FOR THE LOVE OF GRITS

“Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life (or grits) for one’s friend.”

John 15:13

David and I have been married a long time. Of course, compared to others perhaps not so long. My in-laws were married almost 70 years! In comparison, at just 43 years, I guess David and I are almost newlyweds.

David and I love to travel. We enjoy movies and dinners out with friends. We love antiques and estate sales. We love our home and this stage of our life.  And oh my goodness, we do love our children and grandchildren. We have always carved out time to be together. When our children were at the awkward age of "too old for sitters, but not responsible enough to be left alone at night," we started a habit of having breakfast out together. It worked great for our family. Normally we were home before our boys even woke up on Saturday mornings. An added benefit was breakfast tends to be the least expensive meal to eat out. Time together on a budget! We went to many different places for our weekly date.  Sometimes we had just a bagel, sometimes a full breakfast with all the extras. If one of the "extras" on David's plate happened to be grits, he always gave them to me, because he knew I loved them. I never in all these years saw him eat a single tiny grit.

WELL... a couple of years ago during the Christmas holidays, we ate breakfast at a local cafe on our way to the mall to finish up our shopping. They just happened to serve grits. Normally, I would order a smaller breakfast meal and just have David's grits. But, on this busy December morning, I told David I was extra hungry and I would be ordering the same thing he normally did. Our identical meals arrived at our table and imagine my shock when I watched my husband EAT HIS GRITS! I was shocked. I shared with him that I was so surprised to see him eating this southern delicacy since he didn't like them. Then, my Man, who I have known for close to 50 years says to me... "I like grits. I always give them to you because I know you love them."

I was so surprised by this, I could hardly get my fingers around my credit card to finish my shopping the rest of the day. This gentle, quiet man of mine, never said a word to me, he just gave me something that he liked because he knew I liked them too. He never asked for a pat on the back or a reciprocating action from me.

I swear to you, I fell more deeply in love with him at that moment. I had always thought my love language was acts of kindness or service. In addition, I dearly love a small, gift wrapped package with something shiny on the inside! But, this Christmas, I learned my husband could show his love to me in a very small way that no one but me would even notice. It didn't cost a dime, but it was priceless to me.

I wonder if any of you might be missing a token of your loved ones devotion. Look for them or you will miss them. Even better, look for opportunities this Christmas season to show your love to others in small ways that really have HUGE benefits.